Mr. Chris Hazzard:

I thank the young people presenting today. I found it very useful, even looking through the briefing papers and the manifesto for change they provided. I know from dealing with this organisation and similar organisations during my time as an MLA in Stormont that it has always been very useful and my eyes were opened. It has been the same today.

I have a few questions about engagement. A key theme of what witnesses from the forum spoke about today and the briefing papers is an ask around engagement - that young people are entitled to a better process of engagement. I agree with this. My party and I certainly agree with the idea of having the vote at 16 years and engaging 16- and 17-year-olds in that process for electoral change is hugely important along with giving them a say in the design of services and everything else involved in their lives. I certainly agree with that. What else can we do to better engage young people? Is it youth assemblies and youth councils? Is it the actual consultation process that departments very often go through? The briefing paper asked for the establishment of a mechanism for long-term and meaningful engagement. What does that look like? Do the witnesses from the forum have any ideas about what government departments or public services need to do to meet that? What would that mechanism for long-term and meaningful engagement look like?

The witnesses from the forum also mentioned that they would like to see enhanced North-South relations. Again, could they give us some idea of what this might look like? Is it structured through government or something that happens more organically in the public area? What would enhanced North-South relations look like? I have long held that while the North-South Ministerial Council has been a very productive and important mechanism as part of the Good Friday Agreement and the institutions that came out of that, we need to enhance it and look at the different areas of responsibility such as the inclusion of young people in some of the areas it looks at. Again, it is great to hear different voices from across our island. I wish them every success in what they are doing. Again, they should continue to engage at every level.