Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I extend a very warm welcome to the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. I am delighted that he is here and must say I was very impressed in listening to his contribution. He has a very broad knowledge of national and European Union affairs. In June it will be 40 years since he and I were elected to Dáil Éireann. He served as Taoiseach three times. He has particular knowledge and can be of great assistance in that regard. His deep involvement in the negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement was absolutely vital and it is one of his lasting legacies in history. To some extent, I regard him as its architect. Others were also involved, but he was Taoiseach at the time. I remember attending his late mother's funeral, from where he travelled to Belfast to get the Agreement through. That will always be recognised. I restate it today because sometimes people forget these things.

I will not get into statistics because in a very interesting document the Central Statistics Office brought out figures for Brexit, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The IFA has also produced a very good document highlighting the effects on agriculture, which Mr. Ahern outlined. Trade between the United Kingdom and Ireland is worth €1.2 billion a week. As we have all gone through it often, I will just say the Government should establish a dedicated Department of Brexit. We could call it a Department on Brexit or the European Union. Nobody has taken responsibility for the negotiations, although the Taoiseach, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs are all involved. However, in Britain there is one Minister in charge. Here there is something lacking. In Dublin we need a dedicated Department to which people would relate and go to put forward their ideas.

The Government should adopt a very broad approach and establish a dedicated task force which would include experienced individuals such as Mr. Ahern , Mr. John Bruton and Mr. Brian Cowen, all former Taoisigh. Given his expertise, knowledge and information, it is only right and proper that Mr. Ahern would be there as an adviser, I believe he would serve, but he has not been asked to do so. He should be a member of a consultative group advising the Taoiseach at this stage because these are the most significant negotiations which have ever been entered into by Ireland. Ireland joined the EEC in 1973 with the United Kingdom. I have had more meetings with British MPs, Lords and Ladies since June 2016 than I have had in all the years I have served in the Dáil and the Seanad. They are coming here weekly to attend various committees. The British ambassador was here on Tuesday to attend European affairs committee. They are very anxious. Ireland will be affected most affected by the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union but it is also the most influential. Frankly, the real friend the United Kingdom has in court is Ireland as I see very little support for it in the meetings I attend abroad, including of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs, COSAC, as a member of the Joint Committee on European Affairs. I made the point recently in Estonia where I explained our difficulties and how we would be affected. The Prime Minister stated there were 70,000 Estonians living in England and that they would literally be thrown out under the arrangements being entered into.

When we were in government under Charles J. Haughey, we had a dedicated unit to deal with the Single European Act. I was the Minister of State delegated at the time. One would get the impression that Britain had no input in the production of regulations. Mr. John Redwood was the relevant Minister at that stage. The United Kingdom brought forward its plans and ideas and they were never vetoed. Senator Michael McDowell made a very good point. We should have a veto in discussing the final arrangements because Ireland will be affected most. Brexit will not affect Latvia, Estonia or Poland in the same way. Even at this stage, why do the Taoiseach and the Government not get this? I felt it would happen by unanimous agreement, not by majority vote. In that situation we will be outvoted, even if the outcome is detrimental to this country. If Spain will have a veto when it comes to the position of Gibraltar, surely to God we should have a veto when it comes to the status of Northern Ireland and the relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.