Mr. Gareth Hetherington:

I do not know the answer to that question. I know that when I was a graduate, just as the Troubles were ending, Northern Ireland had the highest long-term sickness rate in the UK. That was put down to the Troubles. Ten years later, as we moved into the 2000s and 2010s, Northern Ireland had the highest long-term sickness rate in the UK. That was attributed to the legacy of the Troubles. We are now in 2023, and Northern Ireland still has by far the largest long-term sickness rate in the UK. Yes, the Troubles are still clearly having an impact from an intergenerational perspective. However, there must be other things going on. Whenever we look at areas of disadvantage in Northern Ireland, they are in geographic pockets of deprivation. That lends itself to targeted geographical interventions, which are ideally delivered by local councils. It is a shame that funding for those labour market partnerships has been cut.