Mr. Colin McGrath:

There is so much in what the Deputy has said that we could probably take up all of the meeting in addressing it. I will flesh out a few of the key issues. One of the first things that jumped to mind is that we have explored the concept of the democratic deficit that is the result of the withdrawal agreement. We will still have decisions taken that will impact us in the North but we have no way of having any democratic input into how those decisions are taken. They will be taken at state level between the UK and the EU and therefore we will not have a say on how decisions that impact us are taken. We are keen to make sure it is always front and centre that in the future there could be some form of democratic input from the North to be able to have some views on the decisions that will be taken that will impact us. That is fairly basic in terms of democracy. If people are taking decisions about one's daily life, one should be able, in a representative manner, to be included and be part of those decisions. I know Ms Anderson would have articulated views on how that could have happened so I will let her mention those views when I pass to her.

Deputy Howlin also mentioned the logistical structures there are for the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. I was struck that our EU officer in the assembly, in trying to explain the outworkings of that for me, presented me with a spider diagram that was exceptionally complicated. It had about 25 or 30 offshoots for various committees. The Brexiteers used to bang the table and say there was far too much administration from Brussels and that things were too complicated. Yet, what they have signed up to as a replacement is an exceptionally complex and complicated process. From our perspective as an assembly, we need to be able to be fully aware of each of those various elements of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and exactly where we, as elected officials, can fit into that in order to be able to contribute. As already stated, we are requesting that we would have some presence from our Executive and assembly on the structures that are being put in place.

The Deputy mentioned BIPA. I am a member of BIPA and have been for a number of years. I find that it is a worthwhile and appropriate way for people of different backgrounds to come together and share their thoughts and views on issues of the day. I have been a member of BIPA since 2016 and Brexit has been one of the key issues that has been on the agenda on a regular basis. We should focus on the fact that there are excellent interpersonal opportunities there. However, I would think about the outcomes from BIPA because people can head away for a couple of days, accentuate their interpersonal relationships and get an opportunity to discuss issues but it is a question of what happens after that. Are people bringing back what is being raised at BIPA to their various parliaments and assemblies so that there is some sort of follow-up? The fear is that if the process is formalised too much, that will happen at the expense of the interpersonal aspect. It is about getting the balance of that right. BIPA presents a structure that includes all arts and parts that are involved in the decisions and the impacts of the decisions. Therefore, we should take an opportunity to examine how we can enhance and formalise what takes place there in order to maximise what we can get from it.

I will pass to Ms Anderson MLA to talk about the representation side.