Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)

It is very important to have a framework for all the research that is being done. The work we did on women in the Constitution was mentioned. Aberdeen university has done research with UCD, as have other universities. Really good work is being done, but let us not make an industry out of it. Let us do the additionality all of the time. The only way we can do that is to have a central framework under the Department of An Taoiseach where we test it rather than adding things to it all the time.

We also need to avoid the situation where there is lots of money announced, but only the groups that have the resources and experience can apply. There are really good projects that need funding. There are big issues we need addressed, not least for our competitiveness, but also for people in all communities in the North who are left behind. I am particularly thinking of projects in the loyalist and unionist areas that really need to be focused on. Let us try to not leave people behind because they do not fit into a box, or because they do not have the resources or capacity to apply for that funding.