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

The Minister is correct that we need to be seen as critical, fair and consistent. People would be somewhat surprised, however, by some of the statements issued following meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council. The Minister mentioned that the elections in Venezuela were neither free nor fair, but there was no mention of certain other elections, such as those in Bahrain on 24 November. As the Minister stated, there are significant question marks in regard to Bahrain as no opposition candidate was allowed to stand in the election and people have been jailed for tweeting their opposition to a motor race, never mind tweeting opposition to the regime. That is the type of country with which we are dealing.

On the reference to the destabilising influence of Iran, those living in Iran, Iraq or even parts of Syria would probably say it has been a stabilising influence in the sense that it has helped to stand up to ISIS in that part of the world.

That is again debatable but Iran has played a positive role in some cases in that part of the world.

The Minister spoke of the blocking statute devised some years ago to counter United States sanctions on Cuba. The statute was never operated. Will he expand on how that would work? Some of us were active with the Cuban support group in working against sanctions and so on. There are difficulties with bank transfers and basic activities like that. How would this roll out and what impact would it have on groups in Ireland?

While previous speakers also raised this matter, I will return to the UN migration compact. Like me, I suppose the Minister has received emails and letters about the UN global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration that was signed this week in Marrakesh. I do not know about other members but I am somewhat astonished by some of the lies and misinformation being spread about this non-binding compact. Some of the stuff on social media is appalling, as there is talk of a flood or influx of migrants into Europe. It all comes from a handful of right-wing organisations or countries. I welcome that migration has been recognised as a global phenomenon and that it needs a global framework to deal with some of the challenges it can create. The compact recognises the major positive effect that migrants can bring to countries. Does Ireland's signing up to this compact mean tens of thousands will come to Ireland? This needs to be explained to people. It is also important that these lies and the hysteria arising from fear about the compact are dealt with. It is important that those of us who understand what is going on, particularly Government spokespersons, counteract and explain the reality and positivity of the compact. That perspective would be shared by most parties represented here. Again, people can get carried away by a handful of letters or a couple of phone calls and some are scared as a result.

I will focus on Brexit, an issue that has hardly been touched. Nobody could deny this week has been a bit of a shambles in Westminster. We now know British Prime Minister May remains in place for now but nobody knows what will happen next. The Minister clearly explained the importance of the backstop. I ask him to state again, in no uncertain terms, that the backstop is non-negotiable. There have been positive statements relating to Brexit coming from our EU partner countries, for example, people have explained the importance of having no hard border and no diminution of people's rights. Will the Minister focus on that?

Some of us travelled to meet groups in Belfast and Derry two weeks ago. The main concern was about a diminution of rights. People are concerned about what is coming down the tracks. We met people from an educational background who are concerned about access to the Erasmus programme, the EU health insurance card and student fee rate, along with other elements. Statements on this from our EU partners are welcome but is there now a need to put some flesh on those statements? What is the Minister's sense of what is coming down the track? Yesterday, we met people from the north-west partnership in Derry who spoke about the working structures. They mentioned the A5 route and how it would open economic development in the region. People from Manufacturing Ireland spoke about the difficulty in the central area of Monaghan and Fermanagh. I am talking about putting flesh on these issues. One of the simplest proposals is the development of a port in Donegal. The money required would be small but it would have a major impact on the region. How can these forward-looking proposals be actioned? Will we issue demands to EU colleagues in this regard in order that we can build on peace and statements about having no hard borders? Part of this relates to developing the economy and trade in those regions.

The most important element relates to the rights of people, and it is what people keep coming back for. It is about access to the European Court of Human Rights for citizens living in the North. The original statement referred to those "residing" in the North but there is no mention of that now. How do we reinforce those rights? I am not just talking about the Good Friday Agreement but rather the potential in the agreement. That is where we must "talk up" the Irish peace process; it is not just about what we achieved in the past but what we can achieve in future. I am interested in the Minister's thoughts on that.

I could get into discussions on a hard Brexit and the issue has been mentioned in the Chamber. If there is a hard border, we could speak about holding a Border poll because unity by consent is part of the Good Friday Agreement. The Government has a different view in that regard. We must also speak in terms of the possibility of a hard Brexit and the implications it would have. The Minister will say there is a possibility that the agreement will be ratified by the British Parliament but the numbers currently do not stack up. We are hopeful that it can happen. I am concerned by what we can do in the Border region to support and build on the peace process.