Ms Tara Farrell:

I have two very quick points. On the remote access, as Dr. Maher pointed and as others acknowledged, it has been really important for us to be able to access this meeting remotely, given where we are located. However, it is happening across local councils at the moment. For example, I have a local community development committee, LCDC, meeting in Longford this afternoon which is being held remotely. There is a great sense of encouragement from the local authorities to be embracing this technology. It is really important that is extended across the board. As women with caring responsibilities, trying to fit in a million other things as well, and who, as Ms Gleeson pointed out, are very time poor, it is very important that the technology is embraced. The technology is there in many areas. I know we have an issue with broadband but that is for another day.

I will make a very quick point on the incentives and the penalties. The financial incentives are very welcome. We would all acknowledge that. However, it depends on the level of incentive and whether that level is enough to encourage parties to really embrace this meaningfully. The self regulation we have seen, in particular in terms of gender quotas on boards in other countries, does not work as effectively and the pace of change is too slow. We are looking to 2024 and ahead to 2029. We really need to see a lot more efficient action taken on this so that we can see the impact of those measures.