Dr. Stephen Farry:

I thank the Chair. Good morning to all of the witnesses. Before addressing this topic, I wish to formally express my condolences and the condolences of my party to the Bruton family on the very sad death of the former Taoiseach, John Bruton, last week. I acknowledge Mr. Bruton's crucial role in the mid-1990s in the early stages of the Northern Ireland peace process. He leaves a very powerful legacy in that regard.

Turning to the subject of today's meeting, I ask witnesses to elaborate on their key ask around funding. What sort of funding do they need on a North-South basis to continue and develop the work they do?

On the wider issue of funding for youth services and opportunities in Northern Ireland, members will appreciate that there are some difficult public spending situations at present. There has been a squeeze on youth work and we are conscious that this generation probably faces more challenges than previous generations around opportunities and cost-of-living pressures. I ask the witnesses to articulate the pressures on young people and their concerns around the future. What can we, as politicians, do to address all of that?