Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for travelling here today to be with us. My first question is on the referendum that led to Brexit, particularly in Northern Ireland. The state of Northern Ireland is unique, from my perspective at any rate, in that it is a tripartite state with three separate entities having an interest in it, that is, the UK Government, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Government of the Republic of Ireland. When the ballot was held nobody asked the Republic of Ireland what it thought. They just went ahead and held the referendum. Does that in itself destabilise the foundation of the Good Friday Agreement, which is that we would all work together?

My next question is about citizenship. This particularly relates to people who work in the witnesses' institution. Many members of the academic staff of Queen's University will have come to Northern Ireland not as UK nationals but subsequently were naturalised as UK citizens. The benefits of the Good Friday Agreement do not extend to them. Their children may regard themselves as UK citizens, Irish citizens or both but the parents of those children cannot. Do the witnesses see that problem being resolved? We have raised it with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Secretary General said he saw no problem with it but now I suspect there is a problem. What do the witnesses think about that?

With regard to exercising the rights of European citizens, by virtue of geography and nothing else there is potential for 1.8 million Irish citizens, and therefore European Union citizens, to be geographically separated from the European Union in a post-Brexit world. How do they exercise their European rights?

The common travel area is mentioned often. I attended a conference recently at which we were told that there is no legal basis for the common travel area. For all intents and purposes it is a type of gentlemen's agreement. If that is the case will the Brexit deal require that the common travel area is underpinned by legislation and law, certainly within Ireland and the UK?

Finally, as academics, the witnesses must be seriously concerned about the possible limitations that could be put on students in availing of programmes such as ERASMUS and ERASMUS+ and of free movement across Europe. I have spoken to young people from both communities in Northern Ireland and it gives me great hope that they want to travel, to be a part of Europe and to share a common identity. Incidentally, the identity they portray all the time is, "I am Northern Irish". It is just lovely that they identify themselves thus.

I look forward to the witnesses' comments.