Mr. John Finucane:

I am conscious of the time so I will just echo Deputy Mac Lochlainn's opening questions and his setting of the context. It is also worth reminding that the Good Friday Agreement is enshrined in international law as well as domestic law. It has been added to over the years but has never been subtracted from, with Weston Park, St. Andrews, Hillsborough, Fresh Start, New Decade-New Approach.

It was great to have everyone before the committee this morning. It is good to see Mr. McCallister again. Ms Mercer's opening statement referred to an outcomes-based approach and governance that is essentially fit for purpose. I was struck by the absence of the economic reality which Stormont is subject to. Conor Murphy as Finance Minister has set up a fiscal commission to deal with the problem around the inability to budget on a multi-year approach so that we can identify priorities and provide fit-for-purpose governance. Can Mr. McCallister comment on how having to budget on a year-by-year basis impacts on the points he is making around governance?

In his opening statement provided to the committee, Professor Tonge said that no amount of legislative insulation can prevent against collapse and that it is political attitudes that need to change. Can he elaborate on that? Could the implementation of the long-promised bill of rights act as any comfort or protection to adverse political attitudes being able to undermine good governance and the institutions here at Stormont?