In dealing with that question, we should be careful not to make the mistake of thinking that, because no women from Northern Ireland have been elected to the European Parliament or to the House, women in Northern Ireland are not politically active. Over the years, women in Northern Ireland have done a lot to build the peace process, and to build trust from the bottom up. Of the 108 Assembly Members, 14 are women. Ultimately, it will be for the parties to decide whether women manage to come through and win election.

We have done everything that we can on the issue. Northern Ireland hosted the conference of women European Union Ministers. Earlier this year, we also held the women's national commission regional conference. A couple of months ago, Hillary Clinton and I hosted a conference, "Vital Voices", to encourage more women to seek office.