Ms Helen Crickard:

No, they are set in areas of possibly high deprivation/ There are some women's centres that are set in single identity areas because that is the area they have, but the women's centres all work together. Part of what Reclaim the Agenda would do is make sure there is that connectivity. We come together on issues such as poverty and childcare and, as Deputy Tully said, there is more we have in common than not. We have had some challenging conversations over the years, particularly around access to abortion. Centres that were totally opposed to that came around to it because it was about a rights-based thing. We are not all singing from the same hymn sheet all the time but we are all talking and working towards what we hope will be a better future for our children.

When you arrive in Stormont as an MLA, it is designated as nationalist or unionist. No other voices get through on that. It is the majority that rules. That plays out on councils as well. Where there is majority rule, a lot of council funding is going to their own people and not actually seeking outside of that. More people are now disenfranchised and removed from access to political life or taking part in social and cultural events.

Of course, we have all of our new migrant communities that are further excluded again. We have some women's centres that have up to 22 different nationalities attending their centre. These would be in areas of high deprivation and they do not get extra funding to accommodate that. It puts the local people out who have been using the centre. They are doing a lot in terms of keeping the peace there, with racial equality, and a lot of them are also still fighting paramilitary involvement. That has not gone away.