Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise to our visitors. They probably did not notice but I had a couple of commitments in the Seanad so I was in and out of the Chamber and was not able to follow the entirety of the meeting. We had a presentation from the ESRI at the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the UK from the EU earlier in the week. Ms Gildernew mentioned the exponential growth in trade, particularly North to South but South to North as well, which was referenced by the ESRI at that meeting. In the course of the presentation, ESRI representatives spoke about wanting to be involved in the shared island unit and looking to that in the broader context of their research and work. I do not ask the witnesses to veer into the realm of the political and I appreciate all the dynamics. Ms O'Donoghue referenced the noise generated around the protocol and I appreciate that is an issue but the protocol is a live, dynamic political reality as it stands, regardless of what takes place down the line. There is an obligation on all of us elected representatives, on the Government and on the arms thereof, to break through some of that noise with facts and realities and with the benefits and opportunities that come for the entirety of Ireland as a result of the protocol. In the spirit of the shared island unit, we can all share in that insulation and those protections and opportunities.

Do the witnesses foresee dedicated work being done on that? I know there have been calls in the Assembly and I have made a call in the Oireachtas for dedicated work to promote the opportunities of the protocol. I am not sure that the entire business sector, especially some of our small indigenous businesses in the North and South, are fully aware or getting the full picture, as a result of that noise, about the importance and opportunities in the protocols. It dovetails naturally with the work of the shared island unit. If the witnesses have not looked at it already, cognisant of everything that Ms O'Donoghue said in her response to Ms Hanna, I think it is time for everyone with an interest in sharing the island and the opportunities and potential that exist to cut through some of that noise. How do the witnesses envisage their role in doing that?