Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)
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I apologise for being late as I was attending the Commencement debate in the Seanad. I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their presentations. I recognise the work they have done, which is very important. It is more important now than ever, given the challenges we have heard about in regard to the onset of Brexit. I have no doubt that existing relationships and partnerships will be tested. There is a concern that Brexit will bring a great deal of uncertainty as to where all this will end up and how it will impact on our communities. Even when talking about the Border, it brings uncertainty all round.

We need fundamental flagship projects like the common charter that we can latch onto and build on to build collaboration into the future. We need to be careful that a lot of the good work that has been done in building partnership and collaboration over the years is not undone, and there is certainly a threat to that with the onset of Brexit. It behoves all of us, whether policymakers or those working in the field, to try to find new ways to strengthen these partnerships, which is what the groups represented today are trying to do.

As policymakers, we have an obligation to identify what supports these groups need in their work. Like Deputy Kenny, I believe this committee can be of some help. If new areas of partnership or collaboration can be identified that need resources, support or recognition, we need to understand where they are and how we can support them. Basic community work and starting from the grassroots is preferable, and the best way to work is from the ground up because that is where people are committed. We have had various voluntary groups before the committee that work with rural communities, and we find the biggest problem nowadays is with volunteerism and people having the time to commit to projects. I am sure the witnesses have experience of that in their fieldwork. It is often left to the few. They are very committed but they are left to paddle the canoes on their own, essentially. We need to find new ways to involve younger people, to support people who are already involved in projects, to excite them about this, and to show them the benefits of joint partnerships with other communities.

I come from County Waterford and my wife comes from County Down, so I am very aware of a lot of the social integrations that happen. I am a member of the GAA, for example, and I know a lot of clubs from both communities travel up and down, North and South. That can happen in other communities as well, and whether it is a hockey club or a GAA club, it does not matter to me. I would like to see more involvement.

Deputy Kenny is from a more northerly county and many of the partnerships I see happening are in the Border regions, which is understandable. However, there are people in the southern counties who would also be interested. For example, I come from a place called Portlaw, an old cotton mill, Quaker town, built by the Malcomsons, which was a planned social village. I am aware there are such places in Northern Ireland, such as Bessbrook. There might be social histories there that we can connect, finding new ways of identifying each other's history and culture, and building relationships and partnerships. There is a lot that can be done in those areas and I would be interested to see how we can help.

Ms Farrell mentioned support and resources, which we always hear. Is there a targeted programme of work outlining where there are resources that match? If there are deficits of resources and supports, we would like to hear where they might be so we might be able to assist into the future.