Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for, as always, a very forthright presentation. He outlined a range of issues that impact across all sectors of our society in terms of Brexit. The one issue that unifies us, which the Minister touched on, is the issue of citizenship not just in terms of Brexit, although that has brought it into sharper focus, but fundamentally under the Good Friday Agreement. I have written to the Minister several times alerting him to a number of anomalies and contradictions that have presented themselves for Irish citizens who are resident in Northern Ireland. The Minister spoke very encouragingly about the implementation in full of EU citizenship for those who are Irish citizens in Northern Ireland. I will talk for a few minutes about the implementation in full of Irish citizenship for people resident in Northern Ireland. What does the Minister believe our rights as Irish citizens are under the Good Friday Agreement? Are they equal to those the Minister holds as a resident in the South? He mentioned the scoping exercise but could he expand on the citizenship issue in terms of Brexit negotiations? It was a key issue when Guy Verhofstadt visited a number of weeks ago.

Due to the volume of issues coming to me and being forwarded to the Minister and his officials about citizenship, I asked a number of weeks ago in the Seanad whether he would consider engaging with his colleagues in the British Government about training for Home Office officials who are dealing with visa applications from those who are resident in Northern Ireland. Would the Minister also consider training and developing a dedicated portal, hub or satellite for his own officials who may be able to offer help and assistance to Irish citizens resident in Northern Ireland regarding the anomalies we face as a result of partition that are being intensified by the impact of Brexit? This is something I want to put to the Minister for his consideration and I will follow up with him. It relates to an update on the issue of citizenship. A raft of cases are coming to the fore, some of which are being legally challenged in Northern Ireland, around the rights of citizens. I am sure the Minister's officials are aware of the De Souza case. The initial judgment in this case by a judge in Belfast contests that the Good Friday Agreement supersedes the British Nationality Act so it could be the case that Irish citizens are facing many barriers in an unwarranted and unjustified way. What can the Department do to break down some of those tangible and mechanical barriers that are being erected as a result of partition and worsened by Brexit?