Professor Colin Harvey:

I agree with the broad parameters of what Mr. Farry has said. First, it is absolutely vital that we clarify the process parameters of the referendum. Mr. Farry will know I have been writing to the Secretary of State to try to clarify that. It would be very helpful indeed if we knew a bit more and there was more transparency around this process because, as he has rightly pointed out, core aspects of this are condition led so it would be nice to know more about the conditions. Other questions are being clarified in Scotland at the moment around its referendum process, and we would like more details on that as well.

Second, I agree with the sense that we need to clarify the proposition. Real work needs to be done on this island about what the proposition is for the new constitutional arrangements. That is why there has been such a focus on a citizens' assembly as a way to try to move this debate on. Mr. Farry highlighted the work of universities. In the majority of universities on this island, somebody or other is doing a project or initiative relating to this question. There is extensive citizen engagement, which is very noticeable in the North, not just from advocates for constitutional change but civic unionist voices who are beginning to coalesce around what is starting to look like a sort of informal referendum campaign.

There are two aspects to this. One is the co-ordination of all that work. There is a lot of work going on at the moment. How is that being co-ordinated? Does the shared island unit, for example, have a role in doing that? Second, and I mentioned this earlier, if people are going to enter a referendum campaign, what are they going to say? I agree that not enough work has been done on the side of those advocating constitutional change as to what precisely the parameters of that change are. We have heard every suggestion in the discussion in the past while, from what is basically a continuity Good Friday Agreement to very radical constitutional change involving a new Constitution. The question I would raise with the committee today as regards taking forward its work is, what exactly is the proposition going to be? When people are campaigning in this referendum, what are they going to say? If they have not got an answer to that question, they need to start thinking about how they are going to get an answer.