Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 5 October 2016

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality

Estimates for Public Services 2016: Minister for Justice and Equality

9:00 am

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I shall return to Senator Clifford-Lee's question. I invite her to correspond with me in detail on the points that she raised. I will bring them to the attention of the Legal Aid Board. I will ask for their comments and see whether follow-up action is necessary.

Deputy Farrell asked about Brexit. Everybody has said that they want a soft Border. Precisely what that means and how it will work clearly needs to be further analysed and various solutions will need to be considered. For example, when I met Minister Davis with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, we had a conversation about an increased use of technology. Yesterday, Mrs. Arlene Foster made the same point about developing technology to assist trade and borders. It is one area for discussion. Right now we are examining that issue rather than focusing on a hard Border following Brexit. It is clear that nobody wants a hard Border. Everyone has given the commitment but officials are currently engaging in a discussion about the actual detail. The Cabinet committee on Brexit and the Taoiseach briefed all party leaders yesterday. We are focusing on the implications of Ireland being a border for the EU and how we will interact in the context of the various issues that arise whether it is services, people or the common travel area. It is about further discussion on what precisely that will look like. Of course that will be subject to very detailed negotiations both with the UK - north, south, east and west - but also with other EU members because they will have a view on the matter. One may well find that many other countries will talk about having a special relationship with bordering countries or the UK. There are more than 1 million Polish citizens living in the UK so Ireland will have to make its case very carefully. We do not want anything to happen that would interfere with the peace process and keep it in mind. We have work to do with other member states.

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