Mr. Mickey Brady:

I thank Mr. Ahern for his presentation and for the important part he played in bringing about the agreement. An important aspect of the Good Friday Agreement was the protection for unionists in the time ahead, where people had the choice to be Irish, British or both. That has played its part as time has passed.

Does Mr. Ahern believe that the Irish Government needs to set up a citizens' assembly now? There seems to be a rallying cry for that at the moment. It would play an important part in leading us towards the future.

Does Mr. Ahern agree that planning for a referendum on Ireland's future would involve inclusive and comprehensive planning for the time ahead? It is not something into which we can rush. It is something that needs to be dealt with in a very mature way. Consider the Brexit result in Britain. The majority of people may not have known what they were voting for and the outcome was based on racism, xenophobia, homophobia and whatever other phobia one might want to name. People were not aware of what they were voting for. The surprise on Boris Johnson's face when the result was announced probably said it all. I believe he was ambivalent on the question, but he was certainly surprised at the result of the vote. If we are going to have a referendum, people will have to understand what they will be voting for. The future of Ireland is important to every generation. What are Mr. Ahern's views in this regard?