Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank everybody who has spoken so far. It has been enjoyable and informative. This must be a conversation as well. We are here primarily to listen. In our capacity as members of this committee, it is important that we do listen. Therefore, I wish to try to tease out some of the issues raised.

Caitlin spoke about voting at 16, and appropriately so, because we have tried several times in this Chamber to get the vote for young people aged 16. Unfortunately, we have not been successful. If and when a referendum on constitutional change is called, and in the context of what we saw happen in Scotland, where an energised youth movement was witnessed around the independence question, do the witnesses think 16-year-olds should be afforded a vote? I ask that because, without getting into clichés or platitudes, the future is at the heart of this question and therefore young people really do have a say as it will be them who will be living in that changed society for the longest time.

Eoin spoke about his experience of youth work and this was an important angle to bring to this debate. Living in an interface community in east Belfast, my experience of youth work was that it was vital in bringing people together. Even during some of the most challenging times around contentious parades and public disorder, youth work never stopped. Despite all the noise at the higher level, or the older level, youth work always continued and young people always met. Therefore, the activity of youth work, and empowering and informing young people and creating engaged citizens, will mean they will naturally gravitate towards this question and other major ones as well.

Eoghan, my friend from Monaghan, raised a few points around a flag, transport and healthcare. These are all fundamental aspects and all questions we will need to get into the nitty-gritty of in the coming while. He also spoke about the impact of the Troubles on the Border and I do not doubt that for one second. I refer to the impact of the Troubles on communities along the Border. I wonder, however, if the greater impact in respect of damaging communities along the Border has been that Border itself? Before the conflict even started, those communities were neglected, suffered from underinvestment and were deprived. Now, some 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement, we are still seeing those communities falling behind infrastructurally and economically regarding investment and job creation. Therefore, without diminishing the point made at all, because the conflict had an impact on Border communities, I do wonder if the actual root of the damage is the Border itself.

Conor spoke about the Government investing in new rail carriages and made the point regarding them being inaccessible for many people. This is a fair point, well made. I wish the Governments, North and South, and indeed across the water in London, would spend a few pounds in extending railway lines into communities like Monaghan, through Sligo, up into Donegal and on to Omagh, Strabane and all those places. This will be important as we debate constitutional change, because I hope this will not just be about change, but about change for the better. I could also not agree any more with our contributor who spoke about unity and diversity. This is a positive sentiment as we head into the future and one that I hold true to. I thank everyone again.