Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Three minutes is not a long time to set out one's stall but we have read their submissions. I thank Reverend Kyle Paisley, Dr. Devlin, Mr. Reidy, Mr. Swain and Professor Ashe.

I hope that this is the beginning of moving the conversation from wanting a united Ireland to what kind of united Ireland do we want. I mean by that what they are telling us about Brexit and that nobody wants to launch into something and not know what we are launching ourselves into, and all of the consequences of that. I am also talking about the concept itself of a united Ireland when it is left as a concept because one can put one's hopes into what that is but one can also put one's fears about what a united Ireland is. This is our opportunity to say what is constitutional change and what that looks like because that is how we bring people with us and that is how we open up the conversation.

I want the witnesses to tell us what are the mechanism that we need to examine and what is the research that we need to do because this is a huge task. I would like us to understand the different areas that we need to focus in on and build a framework of the work and the detail that is involved in this. I completely agree with what Mr. Reidy says. Examining the mechanism and the Good Friday Agreement, we can be open-minded about this and I hope we will be. What is not negotiable to me is the values of the Good Friday Agreement of partnership, inclusion and reconciliation and not throwing the baby out with the bath water about what has brought us to this point and what works. I ask them to tell us today, not only for this panel but for everybody, what are the mechanisms and the detail that we need to look at.