Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and his officials and wish him well in his deliberations in Brussels. I also welcome members of the diplomatic corps and their representatives. It is an opportunity for all of us, as members of the European Union, to exchange thoughts. It is a pity that they cannot participate in the meeting, but we will meet at their various receptions and I appreciate their regular invitations to meet their ambassador and officials.

Deputy Joe O'Reilly is the leader of the Irish delegation to the Council of Europe. He does significant work and has been very involved in dealing with the tragedy of what is happening in the Middle East. It was precipitated by the actions of the Bush-Blair amalgamation in Iraq and elsewhere, for which a price is now being paid.

RMSLusitaniawent down 100 years ago with 1,190 people on board, while Titanicwent down more than 100 years ago. Both were human tragedies which it is right to remember, but some weeks ago 1,500 people went down off the coast of Italy and I do not read much about that tragedy in any newspaper now. That shows the level of concern and the lack of acceptance of responsibility in the West, a point Mr. Peter Sutherland made very well when he spoke at a recent meeting of the joint committee. No country suffered more than Ireland, with its 1 million emigrants, in the coffin ships which got into trouble off the coasts of Canada, America and Britain, all of whom helped us at the time. It was right that Britain helped us because it had responsibility for the Irish Famine, but we will not go into that issue today as we have to try to forgive and forget. We might forgive, but we will not forget.

On the negotiations with the United States of America, will the Minister of State outline the implications for the TTIP negotiations of the Senate voting against the trade Bill on Tuesday last? I am not sure exactly how serious it is because the Bill has not been completed. A deal with the United States of America should not be pursued at any cost and there should be no cost to the Irish economy, especially in the case of the agriculture sector. We cannot allow hormone-fed beef into the Republic of Ireland at any cost to compete with our grass-fed, high-quality and often organic beef which we are exporting to the United States of America. That has to be the bottom line for this country and we must veto any agreement which would affect our fundamental and basic industry. During the difficulties faced by the building industry the economy was sustained by farming and agriculture. That is a fact.

On the possible departure of Britain from the European Union, people should read Mr. Dan O'Brien's article in today's edition of the Irish Independent.

He made interesting points in his article when he stated:

The only upside to a British departure is that Ireland will become a relatively more attractive place for businesses seeking guarantees and unfettered access to the EU single market, still the biggest market in the world. That is because there is a very considerable uncertainty over the kind of economic relationship Britain would have with the EU as a non-member. Many members already ask why they should give one country all the benefits of membership (ie full access to the single market) without having the costs of playing by the rules.

I agree with Deputy O'Reilly on the chances of Britain leaving the Union but in our negotiations as one of the 27 members it cannot be that Britain will not stay in the Union at any price. If it is Britain's wish to leave the Union it must not be at any price to this country as far as the negotiations are concerned. Members of this committee have been over to the UK. With 56 Scottish MPs having been elected, if Britain decides to defect from the Union, Scotland will follow with independence. As sure as night follows day, there is no doubt about that. We may find the repercussions of what Britain does will result not long after that in the break-up of the United Kingdom for once and for all with perhaps our having a United Ireland because the Six Counties would be unviable in that situation. All I know from my experience of working with those in Britain is that all we can do is congratulate the Prime Minister on his reappointment as Prime Minister. Fair play to him. It was a democratic election and he won fair and square. UKIP is out of the picture. He had to put certain ideas forward to win back votes and he was successful. He will honour his commitment to have a referendum. I think he will recommend that Britain stays in the Union.

While Britain has a friend in Ireland and we want it to stay in the Union, the Minister of State in his discussions and negotiations with the British Government must point out that it cannot be at any price or at a cost to the Republic of Ireland. If Britain departs from the Union, we will have to play hardball with regard to the EU in terms of any repercussions that would have for this country. We will be entering those negotiations not as a harmless or fearful player but as a determined one. We will support and help Britain but, as a former Minister of State with responsibility for trade, I emphasise that we cannot do it at any cost to this country.