Mr. Eoghan Duffy:

I will provide a little more detail on the dialogues, an issue mentioned by Ms Gildernew. We envisaged that some of the dialogue work would bring people together online. We hope to capture some of those exchanges and conversations and make them available publicly to support a broader dialogue, getting a sense of what people are saying and what the key themes are. In some of the sessions, we will want people to have space for private discussions between invitees but there will also be a public element. The conclusions and themes coming from these dialogues will be very important for us in the unit in terms of how we shape the work and make it publicly available.

As Ms O'Donoghue said, we want to hear from people and allow them to directly shape how the dialogues work. On the first dialogue we are planning with new generations on the Good Friday Agreement, as part of extending the invitation, we will ask for suggestions on what areas should be discussed. We have some ideas. The key theme to be explored will be broadly around opportunity, equality of opportunity and employment on the island into the future. Another theme we believe to be relevant, and on which we want to hear back from people, is that of connections between people in work, in communities and in all aspects of life. What does that mean today? How can it be improved and deepened in the future? Where are the people across the island who are already providing leadership in that area?

We will be drawing out and making available such themes. Based on what we are hearing already, the dialogues will be a point where people come together and say what they are doing, what really matters to them, where they want to go and do from here and how they want to do it. Hopefully, the dialogue series in each sector, under each theme and, as Ms O'Donoghue said, in different regions around the country will provide a touch-point, give people a focus and allow them to proceed and shape it as they want.

I hope that gives the committee a sense of the thinking behind the dialogues. As Ms O'Donoghue said, we are investing a great deal of time in trying to reach out and talk to people across the board online, from community groups and civil society top academics, political stakeholders. It is valuable for us to get ongoing advice and responses as to how to shape and guide the work.