Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Professor Harvey for his presentation. I commend him on his report, The EU and Irish Unity - Planning and Preparing for Constitutional Change in Ireland. There has been some commentary around Queen's University. I would like reassurance from the Professor that all the ethical guidelines and frameworks were followed in the preparation of this report. It is very important to have reports like this, no more than reports addressing the merits of the union. That is what creates the conversation, and taking a proper academic and evidence-based approach to these conversations can only add to their richness. Will Professor Harvey comment on that, if he is free to do so?

Who is responsible for the bill of rights not being implemented? Is it solely within the gift of the British Government and domestic law to do that or is there a responsibility on the Irish Government as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement? The tangible outcome of failure to address these things and fully implement all of the agreements was exposed in Ms Emma DeSouza's case. My other question concerns identity and the right to choose. Apart from the Emma DeSouza case, are there other ways to highlight the lack of those rights to hold a British or Irish identity or both?

Regarding presidential voting rights, I commend the work done by Votes for Irish Citizens Abroad, VICA, in Britain and our own colleague, Senator Lawless, who has also worked hard on this issue. It is astounding that there seems to be cross-party agreement. I have never met anybody who was against offering voting rights based on citizenship rather than residency. Perhaps I will ask Professor Harvey if he has. I certainly do not think it is anything to be feared. As somebody who lived outside of the country for a long time, I would certainly have appreciated the right to vote in presidential elections. If everyone is in agreement on it, what are the barriers to it actually happening? All of the costings have been done, so it is not an issue of cost. It is not a matter of disagreement between parties or anything else. Why is it being stopped, and what more can we do to make that referendum happen? We were hoping it would have happened by now, in October of this year. We are all fearful of getting to the end of this Government and a new one beginning, whereupon we will start reinventing the wheel.

The time for consultation is over and the time for implementation is certainly here.