Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are moving on to the Fianna Fáil slot. I will take seven minutes and give Deputy Lawless the last eight.

Mr. Durkan referenced Mr. John Hume and relations. From my perspective, the Irish Government is leading in this area through the work and research being done by the shared island unit. What is Mr. Durkan's opinion on that? It is investigating 62 relevant aspects. One of the greatest arguments around constitutional change on this island, particularly from the Southern perspective, is about whether the Southern Government could afford it if we had unity tomorrow. Could we get over hiccups like the disparities in healthcare and education? The idea behind the shared island unit is to say once and for all what those disparities are. That information will be vital in any future talks on how this island moves forward.

Through its work at community level, the shared island unit is currently the only vehicle that is getting the opportunity to go into unionist communities. That is vital. What is Mr. Durkan's opinion on this? From my perspective, the unit's approach is non-confrontational. Are there lessons to be learned from this? We might all have the same aspirations, but we sometimes talk about them too much before people are even at the table.