Written evidence submitted by the Ulster University and the Irish Football Association (IFA), related to the effect of paramilitaries on society in Northern Ireland (PNI0021)

This submission has been made by Dr Conor Murray, Dr Brendan Coyle, Professor Brandon Hamber, and Dr Gavin Breslin from Ulster University, and Mark Dennison and John Marshall from the Irish Football Association (IFA). We have been researching and working on issues directly relating to paramilitarism in communities and prisons for the last decade, we will draw upon these experiences throughout this submission. Most recently, we have been exploring the use of sport-based interventions as a means of diverting ‘at-risk’ young people from becoming involved in paramilitarism and/or organised crime. We have responded to two areas of interest outlined by the Committee: the socio-economic effects are of paramilitaries on communities in Northern Ireland; and how effective measures under the Fresh Start Agreement have been in combining police and justice measures and tackling socio-economic issues to eradicate paramilitarism in Northern Ireland.