Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome H.E. Mr. Robin Barnett and Mr. Paul Welsh. I have had the opportunity to meet H.E. Mr. Barnett before. I think he was specially selected for his experience as an ambassador working in many other countries, coming at this crucial time for both the United Kingdom and Ireland. He brings a great insight to his job and is a vital contact between us and the United Kingdom, so we are delighted he has attended our committee meeting today.

The unique relationship we have had with the UK since before the 1920s, and the agreement of the common travel area in 1923, was not changed by the agreement in the 1970s providing for the UK's and Ireland's simultaneous accession to the European Communities. There was no change to the common travel area then and there cannot be any change to it arising from the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union. This is why the Prime Minister's letter is so supportive of our position. I will not repeat what my colleagues have said because we all agree that the relationship between the United Kingdom and Ireland absolutely must remain strong, and Irish people working in the United Kingdom must be reassured of their position.

There has been a major increase in the number of people in Britain applying for Irish passports and, as H.E. Mr. Barnett knows, every citizen of Northern Ireland is entitled to an Irish passport. The Irish population in the UK will certainly increase with all the numbers now applying. In addition, many Irish people can have dual citizenship, as can many people with Irish backgrounds working in the United Kingdom whose parents were born before 1949. Similar provisions apply in respect of those with Irish grandparents. Quite a number of people may avail of Irish passports, which may give them that extra sense of security at this time.

As Deputy Seán Haughey said, most worrying is that many people at the start of these discussions felt the final agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom would be reached unanimously by the 27 other countries of the EU but there now seems to be talk of a qualified majority. This is a difficulty for Ireland more than any other country because of our unique position. I am not sure where this discussion came from or why it is happening. Spain could veto an agreement. I always felt secure that if the agreement was not in the best interests of the United Kingdom and Ireland, it could be vetoed. It is very important that there be a very close relationship between the Government of the United Kingdom and the Irish Government and that we ensure our concerns are raised at the negotiations between the Heads of State during their regular meetings.

A 488 km Border is a very long one, and it will not be possible to man a mighty number of roads along the Border. It does not matter how Border controls are operated; some roads will not be covered. The key is that the most convenient way for our exports to mainland Europe is through the United Kingdom, and the Channel Tunnel is vital in this regard, so we must ensure we have seamless transportation through Northern Ireland, into Britain and beyond to the European Union. Otherwise, we will have to strengthen our ports in Wexford for direct exports to France. These are all the issues that will come up. However, the process is still at a very early stage, which is why it is very important that we carry on the dialogue and keep in touch.

A delegation of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, of which I am a member, went to the House of Commons and House of Lords recently. We had tremendous meetings with Members of Parliament and Ministers there, and such dialogue is absolutely vital for us to know the exact nature of each other's concerns. The UK has a friend in Ireland, even though it is part of the remaining 27 countries of the EU, and a country that has the deepest concern about the future of the United Kingdom and Ireland because the UK's interests are our interests as well. We cannot have the whole farming industry in dire straits, which is what will happen if there are significant imports from South America or elsewhere. We have many concerns and many worries, quite frankly. We never really anticipated that this would happen, but it is happening now so we must deal with it constructively. I hope we will come up with a good arrangement which suits the United Kingdom and Ireland.