Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the director general, Ms Mizzi, to Ireland. I have visited Malta and know that it is a beautiful island.

Ms Mizzi mentioned in her contribution that there is a five generation strong Maltese community in Britain. I know from my experience of visiting Malta that an enormous number of British people have retired to the island. I do not know if Ms Mizzi has the numbers off hand or if she has an idea of the numbers involved. I expect that Maltese people are entitled to British passports under the agreement. Malta was very close to Britain and this relationship has continued. When Brexit takes place and Britain leaves the EU, what arrangement will there be for Maltese people in terms of entitlement to a British passport? Will Ms Mizzi indicate the position? A substantial number of Irish people live in Britain and they have certain rights as far as passports are concerned. Many British people have a right to an Irish passport. My query is not about citizenship but about movement and travel. I do not think the people who voted for Brexit were concerned about the British people who live in Europe or who have retired to various parts of Europe when it comes to funding and their rights.

Negotiations will take a long time and speculation is that they could take three or five years. Malta is the first country to hold the Presidency following the Brexit vote. I believe that Britain should not be left out of meetings as it is still a member of the European Union until the day a decision is made. Article 50 is only the start of the negotiations. It must be quite offensive to the British Government for it to be excluded from dinners organised by the European Union where 27 member states are invited to attend but not the British Prime Minister. That is not a good way to start negotiations. I suggest that goodwill should continue to be shown because we are going to work together, one way or the other, after Brexit. The relationship should be maintained as long as possible. As long as Britain contributes and pays into the EU, its political representatives are entitled to attend all meetings of the European Union.