Ms Claire Hanna:

I thank the Chair very much. I thank Ms Deane and Mr. Duffy for the presentation. I echo the Chair's comments about the new mood at the Assembly and the positive images we have seen in the past few days in particular. I urge the Executive to keep at it. I also want to thank the shared island unit for the very substantial package last month. It is obviously really meaningful both in intent and substance. It will get quite a few significant projects over the line and give a big boost to others, not least Casement Park, which is, of course, meaningful to so many people in the North. Its appeal will hopefully be really broadened if it is part of the Euro 2028 project. They are correct to locate it as an east-east investment and initiative, too, in light of the joint Euro 2028 project it facilitates. It is obviously important that we are also thinking in that direction.

I separately want to thank the unit for being very accessible and open to scoping things with people, even if it does not quite match what it is doing. Mr. Duffy met me and representatives from a brilliant local autism project in my constituency that works in a very diverse corner of south Belfast, which contains probably the most diverse pocket of human beings on the island of Ireland. Even though what the unit is funding at the moment maybe does not directly match, I really appreciated the engagement and signposting.

I want to pick up on two other issues that are more thematic than capital based but that are vital for everyday life and very ripe for more North-South co-operation. Dr. Farry mentioned health and, obviously, there are opportunities for day-to-day North-South co-operation through the Ministers and the NSMC. People were talking this morning on BBC radio's "Good Morning Ulster" programme about North-South cancer care and a memorandum of understanding that was signed in 1999. It strikes me that we definitely have not picked that up as much as we can. Has the shared island unit had dialogue in the area of health? Are there any projects or anything else in the offing in this regard?

The second issue is about renewables and net zero targets. We are exploring this in the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at the moment and trying to understand what the barriers are to expanding renewables in the North in particular, obviously, with a view to meeting our net zero targets. It is probably clear even just to look at it, but the data and analysis we have got indicates that the South is adding to its renewables capacity at 20 times the pace we are in the North. It is ludicrous to consider the possibility of doing just transition and fighting the climate emergency in a way that is not coherent North and South. Obviously, there is much for the Executive to do on planning and incentives. Is it something the unit has had a dialogue event on or is there anything planned? Is there anything on which the witnesses have thoughts? I am aware that we are all basically bringing every thorny North-South project to their door and asking how they are going to solve them, but those are two issues that I thought might match what the unit is doing.