Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will start with the last question raised by the Acting Chairman regarding a Border poll. Before I go into it, I thank Dr. Murphy for her presentation which was excellent and very accessible. To begin where the Acting Chairman left off on the issue of a Border poll, does Dr. Murphy agree with my view and that articulated by the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at a meeting of this committee recently that while every one of us aspires to a truly united Ireland of people, institutions, hearts and minds where people will be to happy co-exist and work together and that it is reasonable for us to maintain that dream, it would not be prudent to have a Border poll until there are the conditions for it. Among those conditions would be significant support within the non-nationalist community. It might not have to be a majority but there would need to be significant cross-community support for a united Ireland as otherwise we would see a difficult polarisation. Does Dr. Murphy agree with the view that any talk or implementation of a Border poll prematurely runs the risk of damaging conflict transformation, to use her terminology, or the end product of conflict ending? The great old cliché is that we all would love to think we would live to see a united Ireland and, as someone who comes from the Border region and a passionate believer in a united Ireland, I would also love to live to see it. I passionately believe in a united Ireland. As a small island community on the periphery of Europe, it would be wonderful if we could find common cause and work together, but at the same time, I do not think a united Ireland born out of conflict, one-upmanship and gamesmanship would truly be united. I am interested in hearing Dr. Murphy's thoughts.

I am very interested in Dr. Murphy's view that the ideal would be a solution posed from within Northern Ireland, if I understood her correctly - an agreed position among the parties on the post-Brexit situation and their relationship with the Republic. I gather anecdotally and I am hearing that there is a real prospect of the institutions being re-established after the UK election. That is the story on the grapevine, thanks be to God, and let us hope it is true, but we will not know until we see it play out. Let us assume that this is true. Does Dr. Murphy think the institutions will make trying to arrive at a consensus a priority? If they do not, they should. Dr. Murphy is correct. It is how it should be.

Dr. Murphy mentioned a mediator and the issue was picked up by the Acting Chairman. Has she thoughts on the matter? Does she see the Irish Government as having a proactive role in that regard? The risk is that through the very involvement of the Irish Government, we could immediately arrive at polarisation; therefore, it would be a very subtle exercise.

In terms of agriculture, food production and tourism, services that greatly affect the people in the area I represent and the whole country, the all-island solution, free trade on an all-Ireland basis and free movement - in other words, the continuation of the status quo- is so critical. I would be more concerned about the continuation of the status quothan any titles for it. If the title was going to become an issue for the DUP, I would be happy to compromise on it and go for terminology that would not be offensive to it if we could maintain the status quoon the island as a consequence because the lives, jobs and lifestyles of so many depend on the status quo. We are talking about farming both ways across the Border, milk being sourced in Northern Ireland and processed in the South, pigs being exported live to Northern Ireland to be processed, a similar situation for sheep, cattle marketing between the two jurisdictions, the interplay between farms on either side of the Border, education and co-operation, people attending institutions either side of the Border and tourism. There is such an array of interests, including hauliers crossing the Border with materials. There is so much at play that if we could arrive at maintaining the status quo, irrespective of the terminology used, it would be great. What are Dr. Murphy's thoughts on the matter?

Dr. Murphy's paper is very challenging to the degree that she cites the significant difficulty, but it is also very positive to the degree that she has proposed solutions. Apart from including them in our recommendations, which I would support - I agree with the Chairman that we should consider including matters such as this in our recommendations - what strategies would Dr. Murphy suggest should be adopted to make this a reality because there is so much at play for ordinary people? We are in the last few weeks. For about six weeks, every Thursday, from morning to mid-evening, we have been hearing a list of difficulties posed for people on either side of the Border. These are practical operational difficulties, apart from the potential conflict in having customs or visible checkpoints. We are hearing a litany of difficulties every day which I will not rehash but they are such that we need a solution.