Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Professors FitzGerald and Morgenroth. It has been an interesting conversation and I could literally listen to them all day. I am reflecting on what Professor FitzGerald said about changing dynamics. When I grew up in Tyrone, we felt our roads were much better than the ones in the South of Ireland. I am showing my age in saying that. There have been shifting fortunes. I am also thinking about the Butler Act and the impact it had on the Catholic community in the 1950s with access to secondary and third-level education. Here we are now talking about the legacy of the eleven-plus that I did and having to fix secondary schools in order to offer equal opportunities. I very much welcome the focus on that today.

I find the report incredibly interesting in terms of a united Ireland. I am wondering about the costs of not prioritising reconciliation, duplication, as the professors have pointed out, and the brain drain. I also wonder about thing such as mental health. It is great that we have the paper and research into the cost of a united Ireland, but I am wondering about the cost of not prioritising reconciliation. We have not had a great couple of weeks in that regard. I would not mind hearing the professors' thoughts on that.

I have two other quick questions about women's participation. How does it differ between North and South at the moment in terms of the labour force? There is, at the moment, double taxation on remote working. It has been removed for the pandemic, but there is a double taxation if one works in the North but lives in the South and has to work remotely. The professors have talked about the opportunity for an all-island economy. How do they think that could work? Might people be able to work in Belfast, for example, but live in Bantry, if more companies go further in terms of remote working? Would that have a positive effect on the all-Ireland economy?