Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It did. I thank Mr. O'Ceallaigh. His response was along the lines of my own thinking. I share the view that it is worrying this has become a constitutional issue for the unionist community. I am concerned about the vote in Stormont that will be required in four years' time to continue the operation of the protocol. It has become a sectarian issue and the lines have been drawn for the next election, which prolongs tensions. It is difficult to see an end in sight, given we know there is an impending vote in Northern Ireland on the protocol, so straight away it will be a campaign issue. That should be a concern for both Dublin and London because it affects us and we need the protocol to work. I agree with Mr. O'Ceallaigh on those points.

Mr. O'Ceallaigh spoke about the EU being a very different place without the UK in it, which is a fair point I am sure we would all accept. A large member state - almost a founding member - has exited. As for the changes, one of the main concerns from an Irish perspective relates to our corporation tax rate, and there has been talk of a digital tax. Where does Mr. O'Ceallaigh think we are in regard to these changes that might be coming down the tracks? How imminent are they? Are we doing enough as a member state to make some new friends, if I can put it that way, with like-minded member states that share our views on certain issues being state competences and not something that should be done from a central point in Brussels?

Mr. O'Ceallaigh mentioned the knowledge deficit, an issue we have discussed at this committee and other committees. We are quite aware now as a Parliament that we relied quite heavily over the years on the UK civil service and its expertise in dealing with the significant workload that comes out of Brussels, and now we do not have that to rely on. Are we doing enough to beef up our supports to scrutinise the legislation and directives coming from the Commission? Does Mr. O'Ceallaigh have a view on the longer term plan? This is one of the significant impacts of Brexit, although it is not obvious or directly visible. Behind the scenes it makes a huge difference, it impacts on every aspect of our interactions with the European Union, and it has direct consequences for our citizens. If Mr. O'Ceallaigh were to make recommendations to the Government as to how to address that deficit, are we doing enough and what else should we be doing? Are there recommendations he would ask the committee to include in our final report?