Ms Michelle Gildernew:

I thank Ms Stone and Mr. Beggs for their very comprehensive and succinct presentation. When one lives and works in the North, one cannot fail to know somebody who has been a victim of the conflict. One of the people I know particularly well is a mother who lost three sons in the conflict. She met Sir Kenneth Bloomfield a number of years ago and feels that during the years her needs have not been met. I am hoping there is a more positive outlook on victims. Many are deeply insulted by the suggestion but some of our supposedly more sensible elected representatives have talked about a legacy of victims. The hurt and offence this causes to people like the woman about whom I am talking are very deep. I would like Ms Stone to give us some thoughts on this.

I was born in 1970 and last year was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, which is probably fairly common in people of my age when one considers what we experienced in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Mr. Peter McBride from the Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health, NIAMH, appeared before this committee last year. He is investigating how mental health and counselling services can be accessed. My constituency is Fermanagh-South Tyrone. In rural areas it can be very difficult to access counselling when one needs it. I would like Ms Stone's thoughts on this issue and how we can progress it to provide support for those who need it. We have people who are struggling with debt management and children at school. This is on top of what sometimes makes life very tough for people.