Ms Vivienne Glanville:

I will add two points to that. The Deputy asked about the one thing on which we could concentrate. For us at grassroots level, it is confidence. There is a sense of impostor syndrome and of not belonging in a leadership role. There is a sense that sticking your head up a little is acceptable if you are fighting for resources for your child or something needed in the community but that the question of confidence arises if you are going to continue. Many women talk about public speaking as a huge barrier. We try to embed this in our programmes and say we all fake it until we make it. This happens all the time.

As Ms Holt stated, there are 17 groups around the country. One of them, Women's Collective Ireland - Limerick, has been running a leadership programme. Many of us are running a first-steps programme but that group is a little more advanced, in that it has asked women whether they are interested in going into politics and what we can do to support them. The group has told other women in the organisation that is has a couple of women who are saying they are interested, and it is asking how we are going to support them. I am referring to women supporting each other. What has been happening in Limerick is really advanced. The group has been having conversations and asking what would make politics safe and how we, as a community, can support women in taking this step on our behalf.