Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not think Deputy Brendan Smith is on the line. I know he was going to be late, but he had hoped to make the meeting. I will start for now.

I welcome all contributors today. It is good to see young faces with such a keen interest in Northern Ireland politics. They have a diverse range of views. Sometimes, I feel like I am banging my head off a wall, because we are missing that diverse range of views in our own committee. It is great to see someone like Councillor Stuart Hughes; we have been lacking that insight to unionism. He is very welcome today. All of the presentations were good. In ways, I would love to see the likes of Councillors Ryan Carlin and Stuart Hughes getting together in a room. It is smart of me to say that, but I do not mean it from that point of view.

It is young people, like our witnesses, in politics who can make a difference. As many said, down the years, too many have gone down the political lines of identity. Back in the days of the Good Friday Agreement, political parties were on either side of the divide. The SDLP was stuck in the middle trying to pull them together. I wonder who the new leaders are going to be in Northern Ireland. It will take people stepping up to the parapet. It will take new leaders and people who have foresight. Some of our witnesses may be the new, young leaders who we will look towards, hopefully in the not-too-distant future. The leaders will be those who will go out there with an open mind and put out the hand of friendship. They will be those who are interested in going into a room and letting down their political guard to sort out issues, a bit like what Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness did. I, for one, look forward to seeing who those new leaders in Northern Ireland will be. That is critical in finding solutions up there.

On the idea of a Border poll and this question of unity, I am as much a believer in a united Ireland as anybody at this meeting. However, I will steer away from talking about it. For me, it is putting the cart before the horse.

Many issues were touched on, such as issues with the Northern Ireland protocol. A number of speakers alluded to different ways of having conversations. I find that many political parties in Northern Ireland are not willing to identify with the shared island unit in the Taoiseach's Department. There is a fantastic amount of work being done within that unit. There is dialogue ongoing with roughly 150 organisations, community groups, and businesses across Northern Ireland. These dialogues are about issues existing within Northern Ireland, with a view to working towards a shared future. Some €40 million was released yesterday to start research on a North-South basis which will be critical research to identify the barriers to our shared future. It will critical research for institutions, so they can realise what is missing in society, on the Border, or in Northern Ireland. They will then be able to identify what needs to be put in place to create a better economy, better opportunities within Northern Ireland, and to attract investments to create high-end jobs for the children of the future. I would like to know the witnesses' views on the shared island unit. Are they pro the shared island unit and its work or are they against it? Do they see issues with it? I would like to get their views.

The dialogue today has been good. I would be interested in working with our young witnesses in the future. Without picking anybody's presentations, many interesting issues have been raised today. There is great opportunity to continue this dialogue and not just leave it here today. We should keep working on this, whether in this group or with a wider one. A sub-forum could be worth considering.

I am interested in hearing the views of those presenting today on the shared island unit and what is happening within it. I would also be interested in any questions they have in relation to it.