Frances Black (Independent)
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Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh, and I thank our witnesses so much for attending the committee today. I warmly welcome this level of detailed engagement and I very much want to underline the significant role of the trade union movement in our discussions. This is what we are doing at the moment on this committee, where we hope to have these open discussions about constitutional change which are completely vital at this time. I believe Mr. McCormack said Brexit has changed everything. It misinformed people. That is key in everything we do in this. As a result of Brexit, a citizens' initiative was set up called Ireland's Future which I now chair. That initiative seeks to encourage people to have this conversation on that issue and not to be afraid of it. This conversation comes around kitchen tables now and people are open to having it. It is also about having that discussion about planning and preparing because, with Brexit, there is a very strong possibility constitutional change is coming down the road.

We found, and this is something that has been discussed today, that more and more unionist voices are coming to us to have this conversation. We have members who are from traditionally unionist backgrounds. We have the ex-Alliance Party chair Trevor Lunn, Reverend Karen Sethuraman, and Peter Adair, a young man in Oxford University now, and they all want to have this conversation. In actual fact, last year in the Ulster Hall, we sold out an event where we had Glenn Bradley, an ex-British soldier, who is from the loyalist Shankill Road, and he and unionist voices want to have this conversation. Obviously, there will be a small cohort who do not want to have it but there is a growing group and the farming community, in particular, from a unionist background who want to have this conversation. It is very important where we work very hard in providing that safe and accommodating shelter for that unionist voice. Some of them come to us behind the scenes to talk to us and we provide a platform for people to express their views.

It is also hoped we will be having a round-table discussion where we will meet with all of the political parties and they will all be participating such a discussion. Thankfully, we met with An Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar.

Last week we had a wonderful engaging conversation with the Taoiseach. The only reason I am saying all of this is that we genuinely believe planning and preparing are vital. We do not want another Brexit situation. We need to find out, discuss and really talk about what it will look like. It is very important we ensure socioeconomic rights such as healthcare and housing are central to planning for constitutional change. The Good Friday Agreement is wonderful. This year is its 25th anniversary. It makes clear the choices on what people want or have for the future. Will the witnesses expand on what trade unions will do to plan and prepare for possible constitutional change? They have touched on socioeconomic rights such as healthcare and I ask them to expand on this topic, which is core to all of this. Is the trade union movement planning and preparing for this? Are there discussions taking place on it? If so, what is the plan?