Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 7 March 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement

Shared Island Unit: Department of the Taoiseach

Photo of Rose Conway-WalshRose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is an onus on local authorities and their members to ensure information concerning this application process for co-operation permeates out and it is not just a matter of the executive of the local authorities pursuing whatever project they might think should be the focus of any such efforts. I say this because, as Ms Deane will know, there are all sorts of activists in different groups in communities who would like to engage with groups in the North. For the first time, we have an opportunity to do this under PEACEPLUS as well, because this encompasses all the local authorities. There are good opportunities in this context.

By the way, the research being done is excellent. I want to see this continuing and exploring different aspects, similar to what has been explored already but moving beyond the current stage because, at the end of the day, we have to present the hard evidence and doing so is a way of taking the emotion out of things. We understand the situation around the congruence of data, etc., which we talk about continuously. In other forums, we are trying to bring about better congruence between the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, NISRA, and the CSO, etc.

Turning to the dialogues, which are also good and produce really rich information, I ask Ms Deane to talk me through the steps in regard to where this information ends up. There are videos and reports. What ultimately happens with the reports? Where do they go?

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