Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Councillor Bell , Ms Joan Martin, Mr. John Kelpie, Mr. Michael Gallagher, Mr. Frank Pentony and Mr. Joe McGuinness for their attendance. I apologise for the small turnout but the witnesses will appreciate that the comments, statements and remarks will all be fed into our work and we appreciate the journey they have all made.

With respect and dignity, my belief in Irish reunification has always been based on the amazing diversity we have on this island and on sharing that in a positive way but being from Dublin, this probably has been to the neglect of the Border regions, both in the argument for reunification and in the national narrative around Brexit. Regional parity is something that should flow from reunification but also is something we should prioritise as a matter of urgency. I will return the diversity issue later.

I wish Louth well in its bid for a UNESCO heritage site in Monasterboice to the north of Drogheda. I would be interested to learn more about that process, such as the length of time the process takes and whether there was engagement with other local authorities that also sought to have designated UNESCO world heritage sites. I also commend the work on the greenway. I am a huge fan and advocate. While the greenway obviously was built for both pedestrians and cyclists, was cyclist usage of 25% as expected or is that percentage low compared with the expectation? I would be interested to know whether it was built on the track.

On arts, culture, food and festivals, do the councils, including Derry and Strabane, have an arts officer?

I mentioned diversity. It is something that makes the North a remarkable place. Marriage equality is obviously in the narrative in the North. There is not a corporation in Dublin that does not have an LGBT group or place a huge amount of value in diversity. As far as FDI is concerned, are there obstacles to attracting business to the North amidst a backdrop of resistance to marriage equality and full LGBT equality?

To add to earlier comments, I have only made the journey to Derry by car twice. It is completely scandalous that it takes so long. Returning to regional parity, I hope the first thing that follows Irish reunification is a high-speed rail network across this island to link our cities.