Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming here today and for their eye-opening presentations. I was not aware of many of the consequences of Brexit. I ask that we park Brexit for a few seconds, which I know is impossible to do in any walk of life in the current period, as I want to get my head around how we got here. If there was no Brexit, hypothetically speaking, where would we be today? Has a vacuum been created by the inaction of both Westminster and Dublin in terms of the human rights secured in the Good Friday Agreement? We were led to believe these things were written in stone, including the possibility or opportunity of citizens of Northern Ireland to have Irish or British or both when it came to their citizenship and form of identify.

The delegates have highlighted what the ramifications of Brexit will be and the minefields that await. Are we lucky to have dodged those minefields or have many individuals been unfortunate enough to step into them because of what has been written into the withdrawal agreement? Although it is written into the agreement, was it parked and no action taken thereon? If so, what actions could or should be taken? Would the delegates cast the blame on the Government at Westminster, in Dublin or both?