Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, may we send our condolences to the family of the late Tony Lloyd, MP for Rochdale? Tony had been an MP since 1983, previously in Manchester, and served many times as a minister in UK Labour Party Governments. He was also shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2018 to 2020. He was just a great guy. He was a great listener. He was on the all-party parliamentary group on Ireland and the Irish in Britain. I want to send our sympathies to his wife Judith, his children and grandchildren, his colleagues in the UK Labour Party and his colleagues in the House of Commons. He was a good guy and he did an awful lot to foster good relations between Ireland and the UK.

I thank everyone for coming in here today. It is hard to believe it is the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the North-South bodies. They have supported the peace process in Northern Ireland and the six Border counties. I have just realised I am a TD for three of those counties, Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim. North Roscommon was not included. I see the great work they have done over the years.

There are one or two issues I would like to raise. Everyone else has raised the hard-to-reach communities. I have noticed, in my interactions with community groups and politicians in the North, that we seem to be missing a beat in marginalised and disenfranchised loyalist and unionist groups. I know it is very difficult. Even after 25 years in politics, I find it hard to understand all the various layers of bureaucracy that have to be gone through. It is one aspect. I have put some of those groups in touch with the shared island unit. I am not sure what has happened but do our guests keep in touch with the shared island unit? I am sure there are different ways of operating. Where there are many local authorities, some can be very good and some may be not as good.

Second, I read how there are 120 participants in shared education. Will the witnesses outline what exactly that is? I have an interest in shared education in the North.

We are very proud of Atlantic Technological University, ATU. It is the first time we have had a university north of the Dublin-Galway line. I think of the difference it will make. St. Angela’s is working very closely with other universities in the North. Is there more we can do in cross-Border education? We are doing a lot but is there more that can be done?

Finally, hospitality is a huge issue, certainly in my constituency. We have stepped up to the mark in the challenge of accommodating Ukrainians who have fled war but it has caused a dearth of hospitality venues, hotels, etc. What can PEACEPLUS do? It is one aspect on which it works closely with others. It will be very difficult to attract investment or investors because of the cost of building a hotel. To me, a hotel is a piece of social infrastructure. I know there are one or two areas where it may be possible to get involved in community-based hotels. A lot of money has been put into the public realm but I come from a town that simply does not have a hotel and has not had a hotel for 12 years. No outside investor will come in. It will be very difficult to come in and build that hotel although it is a tourist area. Is there anything we can do? If we do not have that hotel, we do not have people staying in the rooms. We do not even have a place to go for coffee. It is something we are missing. I have been on to my own Government a few times.

It is now a piece of social infrastructure and a lot more needs to be done.

I thank the witnesses for the great work they do. They have a difficult job. As politicians we all need to work together, across parties and across the Border, to come up with opportunities to help them to spend the interesting pot of money they have. They have made a huge difference. I thank them again for coming in today.