Ms Maria Walsh:

As politicians, we are never quite used to fitting things into two minutes, never mind one minute. I welcome the Senator's remarks. As one of four representatives from the midlands and north west, I know it is incredibly important for us to work across parties, and this will be fundamental in ensuring no voice will be left behind. There is great work to be done not just in the funding streams, including the €5 billion reserve fund to be ring-fenced into further peace process work and conversations North and South. It could equally apply to these conversations that include Seanad reform and proceedings in the Dáil and the European Union.

Unfortunately, we do not have representatives from Northern Ireland in Europe and this is a big mistake. Before going down a rabbit hole about why Brexit happened, I should say it fundamentally comes down to a conversation with citizens and ensuring all voices are respected. That is why the broader theme of the Conference on the Future of Europe plays a significant role within the future of all Ireland.

There is a big opportunity for tourism North and South. With the "three sisters" in the South we can look at something similar in the North, bringing in funding and other opportunities in the tourism sector both North and South.

I believe in education and conversation. The fact that the Government moved on Erasmus students both North and South was a major encouragement. As a Government in the South, we are certainly not forgetting our neighbours in the North while others might be. There is much work to do and it fundamentally comes down to a conversation.