Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Cathaoirleach and wish him the very best of luck in the future. I look forward to working with all members of the committee. As the Cathaoirleach said, I was a frequent attender of the previous committee on the Good Friday Agreement and I learned a lot from those meetings, which were well attended. There were great discussions and debates.

We must consider our work programme for the next four years with great ambition. The title of this committee relates to the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and we must consider the parts of the Good Friday Agreement that are yet to be implemented and examine how to strengthen those to strengthen those parts that have been implemented. We need to focus on those considerations which take account of the past and examine how to move to the future. We should continue in the vein in which we worked during the previous committee, including in respect of the shared island unit. We must consider how to enhance and make an impact on that unit, taking advantage of our experience, North and South, in our constituencies to consider how to do that. We should use the committee to bring communities together. The committee should also make a strident effort to ensure it hears the voices of the unionist community. Representatives of that community should be invited to attend. I do not know if that will require a charm offensive but we must all commit to it. This is a friendly home for all voices and those from all backgrounds are tolerated and listened to. When we look back at the end of the term of the committee, if we have heard more unionist voices and voices from all around the island, we will have spent our time well.