Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our three visitors and thank them for their succinct presentation regarding the day to day issues affecting ex-prisoners and people with convictions. Mr. Roberts's reference to paragraph 5 of the Good Friday Agreement with particular reference to prisoners is very important, where it outlines: "The Governments continue to recognise the importance of measures to facilitate the re-integration of prisoners into the community by providing support both prior to and after release, including assistance directed towards availing of employment opportunity, re-training and/or reskilling, and further education." That is a very important paragraph in the Agreement. As has been said, both Governments are co-guarantors of this international Agreement. It behoves both Governments to ensure that the Agreement is implemented in full. If we provide education, training and upskilling opportunities for people, by and large, it is on the basis of preparing them for the labour force. On different occasions many of us in this committee in meeting different groups, whether here, in Belfast, Derry or elsewhere, placed particular emphasis on the need to ensure that people, particularly from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, got the opportunity to go on to further education and to avail of upskilling and training on the basis of preparing them for job opportunities that may arise.

It is very important that barriers to participation in the labour force are removed for people who have been in prison or who have convictions from the past.

Back to 2007, the Offices of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister put in place a voluntary code for employers with regard to providing employment opportunities for people who have convictions. Subsequently, a review panel was put in place to review the working of that provision, the voluntary guidance for employers. The panel recommended that the employers' guidance should be complemented by legislative change, but that has not happened. I presume that is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. To the witnesses' knowledge, what has or has not happened in respect of furthering a legislative measure to remove the obstacles and barriers to people gaining employment? It is very important. We can all call on both Governments to implement the Good Friday Agreement in full, which is absolutely essential, but in that particular instance, and the witnesses can correct me if I am wrong, it is a devolved matter to put in place the legislative measures to remove those barriers.

In his presentation, Mr. Culbert referred to the pressure on funding or the non-existence of funding for the provision of the services he provides to a large number of people. Again, it is my understanding that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade PEACE IV has not been available to him. That is a mistake. I represent two southern Ulster counties, Cavan and Monaghan, so I am familiar with the work of the PEACE programmes from the time they were initiated back in the mid-1990s. Often small amounts of money can achieve a great deal and provide the leverage for groups to get other assistance and do very valuable work. Am I correct that all of Mr. Culbert's streams of funding have been put under particular pressure, be it from the reconciliation fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or European Union funding? Is the European Union funding entirely gone? Also, has the funding from the Department of Social Development and the Offices of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister been reduced as well? If so, he has met a tsunami of reduction in his streams of funding, which must be counterproductive.

There is a major onus on both Governments to support the valuable work of the groups and there is an onus on the Executive to step up to the plate and support the groups that are doing good work in the community in difficult circumstances. Most members of the committee have visited different parts of Northern Ireland and we have met with various groups and the witnesses' colleagues. We know at first hand the difficulties they encounter and the need to have supports in place at all times to continue their work.