Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will use my prerogative to ask my question, which is one of the joys of being Chairman. I ask it now because to some extent it follows on from the point made by Senator Paul Daly. I am not seeking to assign blame, but one of the main functions of the committee is to look for solutions to the myriad problems thrown up by the type of Brexit that is or could be on offer. As referenced in the report of the committee, with the hundreds of suggestions we mentioned previously, there are two key areas at which I would look in terms of full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement within and outside the context of Brexit. What are the legislative gaps in the United Kingdom and Ireland that need to be filled and how can they be filled, regardless of what is going on in the wider discussion? Second, is there a role for the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference? It is meeting today and good progress has been made on the issue of the common travel area by the Tánaiste and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Mr. David Lidington. Can the conference play a more hands-on role in this area? Should it do so? Moving beyond the specific issue of rights, what role could the conference play in the future relationship between the Ireland and the United Kingdom outside the European Union which will ultimately be defined by the nature of Brexit, particularly in key areas of human rights and justice?