Mr. Les Allamby:

I note two things, both of which are already being addressed by the Irish Government. As co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Government clearly has a pivotal role. In fairness, the EU 27 have been very strong in recognising the Agreement. The first matter to note is that the Government made representations and continues to do so on a bill of rights. A bill of rights is very important. It is a slightly populist point, but I always compare a bill of rights to a job description in employment. A bill of rights comes into its own and demonstrates its value in times of economic and political instability. It is a little bit like one's job description. If a job is going well and one has a good relationship with one's employer, one is not rushing off to see what one's job description says all the time. When things go wrong or are more difficult, one tends to go back and see what the arrangements are. That is what a bill of rights can do. Whatever one's views of Brexit, we are entering a period of political and economic instability. A bill of rights and continuing to push for the other parts of the Agreement is important. The second matter is the common travel area. It is clear that the Irish and UK Governments are actively involved in discussions around the common travel area and where it will sit once the UK leaves the EU. It is not that either Government is sitting on its hands, but it would do no harm to continue to push the Irish Government towards some bilateral or international treaty arrangement which ensures that when we leave the EU and do not have the underpinnings of EU law, the common travel area is placed on a formal legal footing with a greater clarity not just about what is covered but what enforceable rights exist. Those are two things the committee could continue to push for. The Irish Government will not be surprised at either and will not say it has not been working on them. However, it does no harm to continue to use the committee's good offices to see where things are moving in those directions.