Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister of State on her new job. We all want her to be successful. There is a huge burden on her. We all want to work with her and her officials to get the best deal for Ireland. It is important to have a common Irish voice on many of these matters. It helps in negotiations and moving the process forward but it is a two-way process. She needs to keep not only members of her party but members of the Opposition on board in these negotiations. Does she have a view on how she plans to move to forward in regard to these matters in terms of keeping not only this committee involved and up to date but also the spokespersons on the Opposition side?

My colleague spoke about the refugees crisis. I listened to what the Italian ambassador said this morning on the radio. He spoke about the scale of the challenge facing Italy. The Italians feel that there is a lack of solidarity from the rest of Europe when it comes to the huge number of refugees landing on their shores.

The fact is that boats can bring refugees to any safe port, but they are coming to Italian ports in the main and not to anywhere else. There is a lack of solidarity. I do not believe we should equate the two when we talk about this because it raises fears over security, terrorism and refugees. I do not believe they should even be in the same sentence, although many people try to lump the two issues.

Clearly there is a link between poverty, inequality, global warming, conflict and war. Many countries in Europe are responsible for many of those issues and we have a responsibility. These are vulnerable people at the end of the day. People can label them as economic refugees or those who are fleeing poverty, equality and all the rest, but they are vulnerable people and we need to look at that.

One question that people continually ask is what Ireland is doing. A friend who has left here said that he visited Italy and looked at the camps and so on to get an idea of the experience there. The first thing that people ask me is how many people from Italy have actually arrived in Ireland. We know some have come from the camps in Greece, but what are the barriers to people arriving in Ireland? Are there any plans to increase the amount of people who are going to come to Ireland? I am conscious of what my learned friend was saying about the difficulties and so on. The goodwill of the Irish people exists in respect of refugee matters.

The Government has plans to increase the amount of refugees that we agree to relocate from Italy or other front-line states. What is the Government doing to ensure the human rights of refugees are being protected and to ensure that lives are not lost? I am conscious of the role of the Naval Service and so on. Part of that role has to include our stepping up to the plate in respect of the difficulties of other states.

We also need to raise our voice in respect of those countries clearly supplying the conflict and supplying weapons of war to the conflict in that region. There is a direct correlation between conflict and refugees. If people are bombed out of their homes, where are they going to go? Are they going to go somewhere they believe to be safe? Many believe Ireland is safe or safer than where they live. There is a direct correlation and many of those countries with barriers and barbed wire fence and so on are precisely those directly feeding the conflicts by their arms industry. I do not see a contradiction for us but I believe we need to start raising our voice and becoming louder internationally in respect of those countries that are basically putting barbed wire fences up to exclude those fleeing the conflicts and wars in which their governments and arms industries have direct involvement.

I wish to comment on Brexit and the Border. I listened to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, at the launch of the Good Friday document on Brexit. Given the disastrous impact that Brexit will have on the island of Ireland, it is important that we have a common language that we agree to. The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy McEntee, is aware of the position of the Dáil on special designated status for the North of Ireland within the EU. It would be helpful. The Government voted against that motion. Does the Minister of State not agree that it would be helpful if we had a common Irish position? Again, we are being asked to wear the green jersey. That is the position of most parties on the island of Ireland. We see it as the best way forward for the economy and for the people. We need to agree the terms of what we are looking for. Again, I am keen to hear what the Minister of State believes in respect of special status for the North within the EU.

Can the Minister of State outline the timetable for Brexit negotiations? When is the deal expected on the divorce Bill? When will it be agreed?

One of the things that came as a surprise during the week was the issue of fishing and Brexit. I saw a report that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, learned of it for the first time on the edge of the talks in the North. I talked to a secretary of the Scottish Cabinet during the week. It came as a surprise. They are arguing that the fishing issue is a devolved matter. Is the Minister of State aware of that? Is that the understanding of the Minister of State on the matter? When was the Minister of State first made aware of this decision to pull out of the London Fisheries Convention? Has it come as a complete surprise to the Government?

The EU military was referenced. I raised this issue during the pre-Council meeting. I am deeply concerned about the increased militarisation of Europe. There is talk of spending €1.5 billion per year in the EU budget on what I see as regressive military projects. There is a view that part of this funding will go towards the establishment of a standing EU army. The reports from the reflection paper on the future of Europe, which was launched on 7 June, refers to how member states and defence forces will one day be pre-positioned and made permanently available for rapid deployment on behalf of the Union. In simple terms that means we are talking about a standing EU army. Was that raised at the pre-Council meeting? What is the Government's view in respect of this standing army?

Again, we need to separate the idea of the improvement of domestic security. We are all conscious of the recent attacks and so on. The creation of an external force is an extra financial burden not wanted by anyone. Most of us here have the view that rather than going down this route we would like to see the money being spent on housing, trolleys, people on trolleys and mental health. There is an extensive list. The priorities are wrong and I have said as much in the pre-Council speeches.

I do not think anyone has touched on taxation but it is one of the issues. Yesterday in Strasbourg MEPs voted on a report on corporate tax and tax transparency. For more than a decade civil society groups, NGOs and tax justice groups have been campaigning for country-by-country company reporting. We are talking in terms of possibly a sum of $500 billion that is lost to tax dodgers. Again, I am keen to hear whether the Minister of State has a view. What is the Government's view on country-by-country reporting and the idea that we would allow profit-shifting to tax havens to continue unhindered? I note the fact that Fine Gael MEPs voted with their EPP counterparts to allow this loophole for multinationals.

What is the view of the Government on the fiscal rules as part of this negotiation? Does the Government have a view? We have long argued that the EU fiscal rules would stifle essential investment and starve public services. We can see that with the uneven development and under-development in many parts of the country. The impending effects of Brexit demand that, at a minimum, whatever flexibility exists currently is used by us to the greatest effect. Is part of the strategy to try to look at flexibility with the fiscal rules? We have a globalisation fund at the moment.

Has there been any talk of a Brexit fund for those countries whose workers will be impacted upon negatively? Does the Minister of State think that will be part of the negotiations and will it be seen as a priority by the Government?