Consultation event on sharing and integration

A PUBLIC consultation event on the Programme for Cohesion, Sharing and Integration took place in Londonderry last week.

The event was held in the City Hotel and marked the beginning of a round of public meetings to be held at various locations throughout the month of September.

The First Minister Peter Robinson said: "We are at the beginning of a very important process and we want to hear the views of people throughout our society on how we can build a better future for everyone.

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"We want to make a positive difference to the lives of individuals and communities and this consultation is a vital opportunity to shape how we do that.

"The public meetings are designed to provide the space for people to share their views and we very much look forward to hearing them.

"There will be common concerns for many people and we expect to hear these throughout the consultation, but other issues will be unique to some towns and areas. That is why the public meetings are so important. We want to hear the views of people where they are."

Commenting on the consultation, the deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said: "We want this consultation exercise to be as accessible, open and transparent as possible and we want everyone to get involved - either by attending a public meeting in their area or by providing a written response.

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"It is important that all sections of our society use the consultation as a platform to have their say on the issues that impact most on good relations."

He went on: "The meeting in Derry marked the beginning of our engagement with the public and we want the quality of debate to continue through the remaining meetings.

"There will be meetings next week in Belfast, Newry and Cookstown, and we would encourage as many people as possible to attend and give their views."

The public consultation period on the document will run until 29 October 2010.