Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand that Ms O'Donoghue will not be taking on the mechanics of running the referendum. I appreciate that is a different Department, but it is an important theme. One of the big issues with the shared island initiative is that it also has responsibility under Article 2 of the Constitution to ensure that everyone born on the island has the right to be part of the Irish nation. That cuts across what Mr. Hazzard and I have said. I do not see the shared island unit having a role to do with that, but in the broader thematic discussions about how the Irish Government does not just facilitate a dialogue between communities and across the island which is very welcome and important, but also tells us what it will do within its power and within its gift, unilaterally - I do not say that in a negative sense, but in a positive sense - to ensure that the Good Friday Agreement and Article 2 of the Constitution are fully upheld and implemented. I wanted to make that point to clarify.