Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I express my appreciation of the consistent engagement and work of the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee, with the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. All members of the joint committee very much appreciate her involvement and hands-on and workperson-like approach. She takes her job very seriously.

We have reached a juncture where the future of the European Union is at stake. We can talk about Brexit forever and clearly we must deal with the problems and issues arising from it. However, we must also be conscious of the need to formulate a plan of work for how the remaining European Union member states will perform, interact, work and trade with each other. From now on, people want to hear what type of European Union we will have post-Brexit and where it will take us. This applies to farming because farmers are struggling - smaller farmers, in particular - finding it extremely to difficult to make a living and to trade and export, given our reliance on trade with the United Kingdom. It also applies to the Border and Northern Ireland in general, including the paramount importance to the future well-being of the country of safeguarding and maintaining the peace process.

When we look around the rest of Europe, we see problems, including the results and aftermath of elections in various countries. Where will this place us in the future? The respect Ireland has earned internationally is very important. The country's excellent reputation is the result of the people we exported, if Deputies will excuse my use of that word. Aunts and uncles of mine left the country in the 1950s and made their way in other parts of the world. We must recognise them because it was they, not politicians, who earned respect for the country. Those who worked abroad, made their way in business or took jobs in different sectors of society made our name on the European and world stages. We will all work together for the future of the European Union and Ireland.

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