Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I offer apologies because I must leave the meeting at 12.30 p.m., but I will read the transcript. Dr. Morrow talks of the special status for Northern Ireland, but I did not get his opening remarks. Many have raised the issue. Does the Good Friday Agreement have to be renegotiated in full or in part as a result of Brexit? With regard to the special status of Northern Ireland, we have brought it up here on previous occasions, and I will repeat again what has been said about the precedent. Has Dr. Morrow done any research into the special status of East Germany, and its citizens, which had special status within the EU because of its unique relationship with West Germany, which was in the European Economic Community at the time? We should look to the precedent of Cyprus and northern Cyprus, which is currently under negotiations between the UN, the EU and - ironically - Britain with regard to Cypriot reunification. Consider those citizens in northern Cyprus who are treated as EU citizens even through they live in the part of Cyprus not under the control of the government of southern Cyprus. They are citizens of an EU country, which is the whole of Cyprus. Has Dr. Morrow researched the precedents for all of that in respect of citizenship and how Northern Ireland changed people's ability to be Irish and British citizens or both and how post-Brexit they are going to be EU citizens or non-EU citizens? In making the case for the special status of Northern Ireland and most important the citizens of Northern Ireland this committee must give recommendations using precedents or other examples that have already been set.