Mr. Chris Hazzard:

I thank Lord Empey for his comments and I apologise that I missed his opening statement because I was late in. If he has answered my questions already, I apologise and I will pass on to one of my colleagues, but I wanted to ask him two questions. First, it appears from polls and it is seen in anecdotal evidence and different coverage that there is waning support within the wider unionist community for the Good Friday Agreement. Some polls suggest that, today, more unionists would not vote for it than would. Why is that the case?

Second, I would like to ask about what seems to be the intractable issue of transitioning loyalist paramilitaries off the stage. Why is it that, 25 years later, our communities still have to deal with the scourge of these criminal gangs? What needs to be done to help ensure more young lives are not ruined by these forces in our community?