Dr. Stephen Farry:

I wish everyone a good morning. Before I get to my points, I will give some context. It is worth stressing that the issue of educational under-attainment in Northern Ireland is a factor in some of the current tensions. It is not cited as being a part of the protests, but it is there in the background. It contributes to young people being vulnerable to exploitation by paramilitaries due to the absence of other alternatives for them. In the educational context, I wish to stress the importance of good career advice and the need to break down the false hierarchy between academic and vocational pathways. That hierarchy has been a feature in all parts of the UK for many decades, which tends to put us in a slightly different position from what is, on balance, found in some of the EU's countries, in particular Nordic ones.

I wish to flag four questions, although I do not expect comprehensive answers to all of them. The first question is on corporate tax. I am a sceptic on this matter now. The time has moved past. What could be the consequences of an even greater differential opening up between the North and the South, given that the UK Chancellor has announced plans to raise the UK's corporate tax rate to, I believe, 26% in three years' time? To what extent does the differential contribute to a different type of investment in the South versus the North? The South has been able to attract more what could be termed profit-based centres with a higher gross value added, GVA, whereas Northern Ireland has attracted more cost-based centres due to the different incentive packages available to them.

Looking to the future, to what extent can we think about opportunities to collaborate on a North-South basis, not just in terms of higher education but also around things like apprenticeship opportunities in terms of placement of students from the North into the South and vice versa? This is not just for apprenticeships, but also work experience and other vocational training. What approaches might be taken?

I flag an ongoing problem we see around the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and how that may impact collaboration on a North-South basis. In the context of Brexit, I understand there has been limited progress in bilateral agreements being made between different professional bodies.

Given that climate change will be the central challenge for us around the world over the next 30-plus years, to what extent is there an opportunity for North and South to collaborate in the development of green economy interventions, given that we share an island? There is a huge need to develop what we are doing but also huge opportunities in that regard.