Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Professor Harvey for his fascinating presentation. What came across was concern about those aspects of the Good Friday Agreement that have not been implemented but have been allowed to slide. While progress has been made in some areas, there are certainly areas of concern where progress has not been made. What is coming across today is an undermining of the Good Friday Agreement and all it has achieved. Professor Harvey mentioned different interpretations on the part of Great Britain and here.

Where is observer status for Northern Ireland coming from? Is the argument that there should be the kind of observer status being mentioned in political or academic circles? We are coming into this really difficult space. We do not know what the UK general election will produce and there is no government in the North. How confident is Professor Harvey that his recommendations can be advanced? Where does he see the best chance of success for those recommendations being realised?