Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming here and for his contribution yesterday on the Brexit omnibus Bill, which was comprehensive. The Minister made a point around Michel Barnier's warnings and described his own fear of the UK making a significant mistake. The reality is that next week is make or break. It is up to the UK. If it makes a particular decision about the internal market and finance Bills and breaches international law, the reality is that we are into a no-deal situation. I appreciate that the Minister is being diplomatic but those are the stakes. We obviously hope that we do not get to that stage but if we do, if Boris Johnson's Government decides to go ahead and we end up in a no-deal situation, I would like reassurance that we, as a country, are ready for that and in a position to address a lot of the concerns.

Part of the challenge is that most of the public are aware of Brexit but not of the direct impact it will have. Food is still on the shelves and supply chains are still operating. People are aware it is a big issue but it is not directly impacting their lives. I know that the Minister is talking about fish but the issues for people at home were sausages and chips. I heard people start to talk about the potential impact in that regard. Is there a communication strategy in place if we end up with a no-deal Brexit?

I will follow on from what Senator McDowell said. I raised a point during the debate in the Seanad yesterday and we had a discussion around the data issue which is going to be critical in the case of a no-deal Brexit. I would be concerned about the introduction of state aid. The policy of Boris Johnson's Government has been to pump money into particular industries and sectors. I have a particular concern that there would be a decision to pump money into some of the airports in an effort to attract transatlantic flights into the UK. I know that they will not necessarily have air access but it could distort other sectors of the economy, including our tourism sector which is crucial at the moment.

I welcome the fact that the Minister said that we need ways to continue to develop the bilateral arrangement. That is important. Not having the UK at the EU table is going to be a difficulty for Ireland and we need to look at building relationships and forming alliances with other member states. The Minister might make reference to that.

Senator McDowell made a point about our intellectual infrastructure and the capacity to engage, and that is going to be a challenge. We, effectively, operate a common higher education and research area with the UK. It is going to be absolutely essential that we avail of the opportunities that Brexit provides to Ireland and that, in building the bilateral arrangements that the Minister talks about, the strong existing links in education and research between Ireland and the UK are maintained and strengthened, but that we also explore ways to further strengthen links at a European level.