Ms Claire Hanna:

I thank our witnesses. It has been very interesting. I am sorry, but the Cathaoirleach caught me slightly on the hop. I thought there was another group in the middle.

Has Mr. McDonnell done any or is there any comparative analysis of the different operating environments businesses are facing North and South? Three of the big variables would seem to me to be around skills and infrastructure for a start. There has been a consistent level of investment in third level and further education in particular in the South that has been lacking over the last 15 years in the North.

I am originally from County Galway and I travel up and down the road numerous times in the year. When I pass places like Athlone, I always think how different a comparably sized town is in the North in terms of road links and other infrastructure. It is about those aspects of the trading environment. Similarly, there is what we would call the rates environment. There is not the same level of local government taxes. I remember doing a comparative analysis of small businesses in the Republic and the North and England, Scotland and Wales. There is a unique burden on small businesses in Northern Ireland on rates as a specific levy outside of corporation tax and other taxes that are being levied on them. Does Mr. McDonnell have any sense of the different picture and attractiveness of investment between the North and South in that regard?