Ms Claire Hanna:

Now, we really are being Panglossian. Professor FitzGerald is right, of course, to talk about doing these things whether they result in unity or not. I should point out that I am not obsessing and viewing everything in this context. We have invited the witnesses here to discuss precisely their report on the impacts of unity and this is why I am framing my questions in this regard. There is no disagreement here on energy. It is a policy area that I work on. I think the Republic is bringing renewables on stream at a rate of something like 20 times the pace. The strategy is not the problem. It seems to be fair enough. The problem lies in getting to it in terms of grid capacity. Everything the witnesses have said, including the disposition of the Treasury, underlines the fact that the current constitutional and governance frameworks are thwarting our economy. What I think I am reading from the witnesses, however, is that deficits in education and infrastructure are holding us back. I do not think this gives any reason to believe that pursuing unity is not going to be better for the North. My time is up, so I will hand over to my colleagues.