Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. Brexit has taken up a great deal of time in all sectors because it is one of the most serious issues to hit our country, this island, the UK and Europe for many years. I was at two conferences, one in Carrick on Shannon a few weeks ago chaired by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, about the impact on jobs. Last Monday I was at an all-Ireland conference on energy, chaired by the Minister for Communications Climate Action and the Environment. It is very worrying to see how vulnerable we are given the amount of energy coming from the United Kingdom. These are issues we have to resolve, for example there is talk of a 45% tariff on agricultural goods. It is up to negotiators but it is right for us to highlight them. We have to get those tariffs down as close to zero as possible. We have people in the public service and other positions to negotiate those, although we are part of the 27. The United Kingdom will fight for its side. We are losing an ally. We have our differences but it was an ally in Europe. Every day for the past 20 or 30 years there was an average of 26 meetings between UK and Republic of Ireland negotiators. We are going to lose that kind of link and must do everything possible to try to increase the co-operation. These voids have to be filled, I do not know how. We need to consider this opportunity.

We have had a chequered relationship with that island. The queen's visit in 2011 certainly woke us up. We have had decades of trade with our neighbour, amounting to €1 billion and 200,000 jobs on each side but the British Irish Chamber of Commerce was set up only five or six years ago. We must work harder and increase those links. It is good to know we are planning for 2020 but there cannot be a hard Border on the island of Ireland. That is the negotiating step that our Government, and the EU have to ensure. There cannot be a return to a hard or soft Border. The only way is a border in the Irish Sea. There is no way around this. Whether we will have to produce a passport going from one to the other I do not know. These issues need to be discussed.

People are talking about special status for Northern Ireland. We spoke to some Dutch parliamentarians. We are not familiar with what is happening all over France or Germany but it is up to us to inform them and do our best. We laud the United States and the United Kingdom but the EU has put €3.5 billion into peace projects. It was the main player in the Northern Ireland peace project and it is a huge success. If we want a special status there should be a peace building that Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland should be seen as good news. This is good news. The EU put huge energy and resources into this for 25 years and it has been a success, for the two parts of our island and for the UK, apart from a few little problems. We must pass this message on to the EU.

We have to build bridges. One island has gone insular. I launched the Irish for Europe in Britain last year calling for a "yes" vote in the Brexit referendum and I said that referendums were a blunt instrument. We have had 27 referendums over 27 years and people do not normally vote on the question that is put to them. Immigration was one aspect of the vote in Britain. There were many aspects.

To our left we have the continent of the United States. These are our neighbours and we find on the island of Ireland that we are being reasonable and democratic whereas the countries that built bridges are being seen as insular, building walls and borders and whatever. We have a unique position on the island of Ireland to step up and make that difference but we need help.

What brought Brexit up was a brand of unionism. It was the United Kingdom, England and others who wanted to be part of that union. That is their right but it is creating huge difficulties. Many of them feel that the Republic of Ireland will have no choice but to follow them out of Europe. We have to stand firm and say we are committed members of the European Union and will be the last country ever to leave. The European Union has been a wonderful peacebuilding project since the Second World War. The Republic of Ireland will be the last one standing as far as I am concerned. When we see what it has done for the Republic of Ireland, the island of Ireland and around eastern Europe, we have to stand firm and we can take our place there.