Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for attending. It is a pleasure to have listened to him although I have become increasingly depressed this afternoon by the lack of certainty around Brexit and what it means, not only for the community in Northern Ireland but also for Ireland as a 32-county island. I am deeply depressed when I think about where we are going. I note Mr. Ó Muilleoir's comment that it is his fervent wish to remain at the heart of Europe but I am afraid that decision has been taken from him. Westminster has decided it is not interested in him or the 56% of his electorate that voted to stay in Europe. Mr. Ó Muilleoir's immediate concern is to safeguard €1.6 billion of funding that was due for the North. If I was a bureaucrat in Brussels looking at the speedy applications coming in from the North of Ireland in respect of funding, would I be as inclined to be speedy in my replies or would I say "These guys are out of the equation and one of their Commissioners has gone home, so why should I expedite anything?"?

To return to what Dr. McDonnell just said, what plans are there if this funding does not materialise? Does Mr. Ó Muilleoir expect that Westminster will make up for the funding from Brussels that will be lost? I do not expect that and I do not see funding coming from the Dublin Government to make up for lost funding. I am beginning to see many problems. I spoke about a hard border on the day after the referendum and today there is absolutely no assurance that we will not have such a border. I am now leaning towards the possibility of a border and all the damage it will bring to our country and its economy and to the Northern Ireland economy. We are deeply interlinked. Senator Francis Black referred earlier to some of the programmes being run in north Belfast. I look at the number of youngsters coming down to universities in Dublin. They will have to pay their way. Where will the Northern Ireland Executive find the funding for that? Does it expect Westminster to step in and pick up the tab? As Minister of Finance, Mr. Ó Muilleoir is in a horrible position in the firing line. I do not see the funding coming to run the country at the level at which it is currently being run. To return to Dr. McDonnell's point, have all members of the Executive sat down together? It is time now for the DUP, Sinn Féin and everyone else to sit around the table and decide where they will go when the funding does not materialise. I cannot see Westminster replacing the money coming from Europe to the North of Ireland.

I am particularly concerned about education and agriculture.

Some of my colleagues are concerned about the traditional corner shop, I agree with them because, just like business interests in every other part of the economy, such shops will suffer.