Mr. Chris Hazzard:

I thank the witnesses for their interesting and thought-provoking contributions today. I have a couple of comments to lead into a question. First, I could not agree more with Mr. Holloway on the need to broaden and deepen the conversation on some of these issues - not just the issues about how we move forward on emerging needs and redeveloping a peace plan but also the shared common good on health and education. When we talk about integrated education, it always strikes me that we focus on the North and we nearly forget the fact that, equally, 94% of primary schools in the South are faith-based.

The South of Ireland is as slow as any European nation in divesting from faith-based education. There is an onus on all of us in society to think nationally and deeper on society. We also need to think more deeply about issues such as violence against women and girls and a broad range of issues. Participatory models from Reykjavík to Porto Alegre are in place right across the world and they lead to fantastic results in society. We need to look at them. Do we need to think with a national lens when it comes to some these issues to take it out of the narrow orange and green lanes that some of these issues can slide into in the North?

Second, we can be hard on ourselves when it comes to discussing some of the peace issues. I was taken by Mr. Holloway's point on the need for a renewed peace plan. In recent years, we have had the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. There has been a lot of reflecting on where we have been and where we need to get to. Something struck me this week when I took my daughter to football training. Our local soccer club when I was playing as a much younger man, was made up of 100% Catholic team members. This week, there were people from right across the community and ethnic backgrounds and it was much more open. It is the same for my local Gaelic club. We have people from ethnic backgrounds playing. We now have a partnership with the local rugby team. Beyond some of the vested interests and institutions, when looking on the ground at society, there has been a move away from some of the polarisation. That is not to suggest there is not work needed and there are of course a broad ranger of factors involved but we can be hard on ourselves. To focus on the point of a renewed peace plan, what does that look like for the next 25 years? Perhaps there is an international example; I am not sure but it is something worth looking at. I thank everyone again as today was very thought-provoking and useful.