Dr. Seamus McGuinness:

I can answer the question on funeral grants. Such a grant exists in the North. It is means tested and highly restricted. The value is capped at approximately £1,100. Funeral costs average way above that. It is a heavy burden for low-income families in the North, as it is for their counterparts in the South. It is a major issue. The real-term value of the grant has been cut substantially over time.

With regard to what can be done, we touched on aspects of mutual co-operation that are likely to benefit everyone. Obviously, health is one area. One needs a good health system to have healthy and productive workers. There is clear scope for more work in that regard. There is an argument in the space of industrial policy as well. Ireland has been extremely successful with regard to how it attracts FDI, and with its assistance to the agencies that assist SMEs. There is a possibility of a more joined-up approach to that, although FDI is very complex and political stability is needed. If one asks multinationals what is the most important factor, it is not necessarily the corporation tax rate, it is the political environment, stability and the education system. Those are two possible areas with regard to industrial policy.