Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. They are giving quite comprehensive answers. I welcome the fact that they are here. I should put it on the record that on some level I would prefer that legislation that has an impact on any part of Ireland would not be carried out in Westminster, but we are where we are. People are giving their views on the basis that the questions have not been answered yet by the British Government, but the two views given on Part 5 of the Internal Market Bill are that either it is part of an internal negotiation within the Conservative Party or it is a matter of putting pressure on in negotiations with the European Union. There is a view here, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and a number of others have voiced it, that the European Union, even as a marketplace, is too important for Britain. I could be wrong, but I understand that 45% of Britain's exports go to the European Union. On that basis, this is seen, to some degree, as a negotiating gambit.

I come from Dundalk, which is on the Border, and obviously we have worries about businesses and the impact. We would also worry if there was any possibility of circumventing the Irish protocol, if one believes some of the statements by Boris Johnson, Michael Gove or even David Frost, depending on what day of the week it is. We are very worried about there being contingencies. It is utterly unacceptable to impact on the lives of people in the Border area or that there would be any possibility of a return of a hard border. I wish to put that on the record.

In fairness, what a number of people have said here is that the major difficulty they have with Part 5 is the rule of law. If that is the means by which it falls, so be it. I am asking the witnesses for their view on where we go from here. I am seeking some type of assurance insofar as they can give it. They can give the general mood music between the House of Lords and the House of Commons regarding the chance of this legislative measure going through. If it did in any way, shape or form, it would be utterly unacceptable. The big question is whether the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and others are correct, that a deal with the European Union is an absolute necessity and whatever Boris Johnson says about an Australia-type deal is just bluster at this point, if anybody is willing to go down that line.