Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have reached the 10.30 a.m. mark and all members have spoken. I thank everybody who has borne with me in terms of the tight timekeeping but it was necessary to ensure that everybody had an opportunity to comment.

On behalf of the committee I wish to say that we have had a worthwhile discussion with the Commissioner. This is our final public meeting before we start drafting a report next week with a view to publishing in July. This has been a really important engagement with the Commissioner because she is at the fore of the Brexit issue and has been able to give us the most up-to-date information this morning, which we really appreciate and I know that her schedule is busy.

The Commissioner will have seen from the vast array of questions and issues that we, as a committee, have had to grapple with over the last six months that there are a lot of issues that have yet to be resolved. She is right that we must focus on implementation and ensuring that people live up to, and abide by, what they signed up to. Obviously a particular concern for us here is to consider the tensions within Northern Ireland and try our best to ease them and allow people to cool off. From what we have heard at this committee, there is considerable support for the protocol from business, industry and many citizens in Northern Ireland. I suggest that the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland support the protocol and understand its importance.

As Senator Gallagher has said, it is important that we acknowledge that there is a significant community who have an issue with the protocol. I am not sure that the veterinary agreement or tinkering around the edges and making adjustments to the protocol will ever satisfy certain groups in Northern Ireland. I think that is something we will have to work on for the next number of years, particularly as we approach the vote. Four years post implementation there is a vote on the protocol in Northern Ireland so we must be very mindful of that because the lines have been drawn.

The Commissioner can make some closing remarks and I thank her again.