Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for missing the first part of the presentation but I was next door at the meeting of the Committee on Justice and Equality. I have read over it and a couple of my questions have already been asked. I will not engage in repetition but I will make a couple of observations and ask quick questions. They are probably well-rehearsed observations. We all know and appreciate that Brexit is bad for one's health and nothing shines a light on the folly of Brexit and partition than issues of health and health service provision.

There were points earlier that concerned Altnagelvin and service delivery across the Border. I appreciate fully the uncertainty of Brexit but communication with patients is critical. One reason Brexit is bad for one's health is that if someone is suffering from cancer or a degenerative illness, uncertainty and a lack of awareness is not good. Whatever information the Department can provide to patients in co-operation with colleagues North of the Border would be vital.

Strand 2 of the Good Friday Agreement identifies health as an area for North-South co-operation. We have mentioned at length the issue of the Border and the potential for a hard border. Much like the Chair, I do not necessarily share the confidence in the retention of all of those elements of the common travel area etc.

When we speak about our ambulance network, it does not just apply to land. It also applies to the air, and there are unique issues regarding access to airspace as a result of Brexit. Is this part of the considerations about our ambulance network which operates throughout Ireland and is it factored into the discussions at that level?

With regard to the contingency plan, Senator Dolan made a fair point on hearing some of the views. Far be it from me to tell my granny how to suck eggs, but it might be of benefit to the committee, if it has an opportunity and if it has not done so already, to hear from British officials directly and engage with them, given the uniqueness and the strand two element we must consider as Oireachtas Members.

While I appreciate that the committee wants to get into the nuts and bolts and the nitty-gritty of health issues, there are bigger political and diplomatic issues. Mr. O'Connor has said the UK will leave the EU. It is important to point out for the record that I am being taken out of the EU and, potentially, 1.5 million Irish citizens North of the Border who benefit from all-Ireland co-operation on health are being taken out of the EU against their wills. We need to ensure we do everything we can to uphold, protect and defend the rights of those Irish and EU citizens, and ensure there is no alteration, not least to the strand two element of the Good Friday Agreement and the very positive, progressive and growing cross-Border co-operation and service delivery.

My question is primarily on the issue of the air ambulance and the impact on another all-Ireland body, which deals with food safety promotion. What are the considerations with regard to the impact on people's health? A number of EU programmes are delivered along the Border corridor, with a particular focus on health outcomes, whereby communities in Lifford, Strabane, Monaghan and Crossmaglen are working with a specific health delivery remit. I appreciate that was a bit vague and opaque, in keeping with the spirit of Brexit, but it is the best I can do at this stage.