Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. All the members who indicated that they wished to speak in the first round have done so. I have a couple of questions for the witnesses, after which any members who want to come in on a second round might put their hands up and I will let them in.

I thank Mr. McGrath, Ms Anderson and Ms Sheerin for their candid exchanges with us. They are really painting a picture of the challenges for Northern Ireland and for the island as a whole. This issue impacts all of us and it is in all of our interests to deal with it. As Ms Sheerin said, we are where we are but we must try to make it work, because we have to make it work. My first question relates to the consent mechanism in the Northern Ireland protocol. I raised concerns around that at the time it was agreed. We know that in four years from the end of the transition period, the people of Northern Ireland, and the witnesses and other public representatives, will be asked to vote to maintain the Northern Ireland protocol, maintain what is now the status quoand continue with the Brexit that we now have. That includes what is, in effect, a trade border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

I am concerned by the tensions that we are seeing bubbling away at the ports of Belfast and Larne. I agree with Senator McDowell that we need to put a stop to that as quickly as we can, bringing all sides on board. My concern is that if the likes of that were to continue and if Brexit were not to be working as best it can for Northern Ireland and for the whole island, that the witnesses will have difficulties in four years' time when the vote comes up. I made the point when the consent mechanism was agreed that it is not a fait accompli. If it were, it would not need to be written into the protocol in the first place. We can never underestimate or take for granted what the outcome of that vote might be. While we can be fairly certain at the moment, on balance, that it will be a vote in the positive to maintain what we have, we must work proactively together across the island to make sure that happens.

We need to plan, North and South and as an island, in advance of that vote. We need to be proactive about it and we need to acknowledge that we cannot take it for granted. We need to find mechanisms to deal with the issues we are seeing for Northern Ireland, including in regard to supply chains and the threats to workers at the ports. All of that needs to be dealt with. It is incumbent upon the Government here in the Republic, the European Union and the British Government to work together to fix this. I do not have full solutions yet but we need to ensure that the difficulties that are there are addressed for the people of Northern Ireland and for the island as a whole. My first question, then, is around the consent mechanism in the Northern Ireland protocol and what the witnesses' thoughts are on it at this early stage. We have a number of years to go on it yet.

On the invoking of Article 16, Ms Anderson asked questions around what the Government knew and what Commissioner McGuinness knew. No member of this committee is in a position to answer those very valid questions.

I have no doubt Commissioner McGuinness was instrumental in resolving the matter quickly. I know the kind of work ethic she has and that she has Ireland's interests at heart. There is no doubt the attempt to invoke Article 16 was a poor decision, which has had implications. It is no surprise that the other side is arguing that Article 16 should be invoked because of the supply chain issue. One could see that coming. The European Union is responsible for that because it has allowed that discourse to happen. Article 16 should never have been invoked. That was not the way to do it. That is not what it was intended for.

From what I have read, I think there was panic over the vaccine programme and that it was an oversight, but it was a really unfortunate one that we now have to deal with on this island. I think we would all agree that should never have happened. I am really pleased the Taoiseach intervened, as did the entire Government, to stop that and to row back from it. As with anything, there are consequences and we have to deal with those. I hope we never see that happen again.

I do not know the thoughts of the witnesses. Do they think Northern Ireland now has the best of both worlds? For the most part, it has full access to the market in Great Britain and being part of the UK, but it also has access to the European Union market as well. Do they see potential for Northern Ireland in terms of foreign direct investment, growing industry and entrepreneurship and that it might be a fantastic haven for business because of the access to both markets that nowhere else has? There are positives and opportunities here for the North which are deserved and long overdue. That is just my opinion.

Mr. McGrath, as Chair, acknowledged at the outset that there are different views on the committee, and that they may not be expressed at today's meeting. I acknowledge that the DUP members of the committee would probably have a different view from the one I am expressing today. We respect those views. We are not in any way attempting to gloss over them. We fully accept and respect that there are different views on both sides of the issue. They are my three points. I will hand back to Mr. McGrath and to the members of the committee, Ms Anderson and Ms Sheerin.