Professor John Doyle:

We have some information already in terms of public attitudes. I was involved in a set of opinion polls done with the ARINS project through the Royal Irish Academy and the University of Notre Dame in the United States, of which The Irish Times published a good bit. We did focus groups as part of that, which in some ways do not lend themselves to the same sort of publicity. It is clear that there is a massive desire for more information. There is also a massive desire for expert advice and to take part in debates. There is a low level of information on a cross-Border basis and a lack of knowledge about the other. That is equally the case North and South. People have no idea what the health system is like on the other side of the Border.

In relation to really basis things, people are making assumptions. People were worried that they would lose their pensions because they had not paid contributions in the South, for example, but whatever the economic circumstances, governments are not going to leave pensioners without a payment at the end of the week or the month. They asked if they would be joining the European Union. There was no awareness, among a certain cohort, of something that has already been legally agreed by the European Council. People in political and academic circles were aware of it but not the ordinary public. The health system is a big concern for voters in Northern Ireland. There is the principle of a publicly paid-for, free at the point of access health system but it is clear from surveys that people think that everybody pays in the South, regardless of whether they have a high or low income. There is a caricature of the southern health system. Southerners have no idea there is a queue to see a GP in the North. There is a real lack of information. People are clear that they want certainty in regard to information. That is the first priority. That is similar to previous European referendums. It was probably a lack of information rather than substance that led to the defeat of the Lisbon and Nice referendums. They were subsequently passed when more information was made available.

The other two issues are the economy and health. There was a little more concern about peace and security in the South. Remarkably, voters in the North are not as worried about that. It is not that there is no worry but people do not see a return to violence in the North. They think that whatever else is happening, that is not where people's heads are whereas in the South, there is a bit more worry about a return to violence. The economy and health are very strong.

If I were to give three priorities, I would say that the Government should provide some certainty by starting a process towards some sort of Green Paper or parliamentary report; provide much more information and research on the likely economic trajectories; and make a plan in terms of health. There are some information gaps there. It is almost impossible to compare the two health systems, North and South. Senator O'Hara talked about the mental health services but one cannot compare cancer outcomes, North and South, or orthopaedic services, for example. Who has the better model? Which is cheaper? Which is better? We cannot answer those questions because the systems are so different that it is impossible to compare them. If I was to prioritise, it would be the process, the economy and the health system. If the Government could answer those questions, it would probably meet 70% or 80% of people's desire for more information.