Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on EU-UK relations and in particular the dangers of the possibility of the UK leaving the European Union. Britain is holding a referendum on 23 June to decide whether stay in the EU or leave. The polls are suggesting that it is too close to call. My position is very clear, I want the UK to remain part of the EU. As a TD for Louth I - more than most - know the importance of the close working relationship between the UK and Ireland. A UK exit from the EU would have very serious consequences for Ireland and particularly for Border counties like Louth.

The UK is our largest trading partner and recently the British Chamber of Commerce calculated the value of trade between our countries at over €1 billion a week. Trade between Ireland and the UK is shown to support over 400,000 jobs directly, half of which are in Ireland. From speaking with many business people in the Border area, including Dundalk, I know the importance of the UK market to their businesses. There is no doubt they fear a UK exit and the possible dangers associated with it. For many small Irish businesses the UK is very often their first export market and I know, from running my own electrical business, the importance of a strong relationship with the UK. Over 40% of all exports from Irish SMEs go to the UK. I will put the huge scale of the Irish-British relationship into context. Almost one in four people in Britain have Irish heritage. Also, 600,000 people born on the island of Ireland live in Britain. There are almost 60,000 Irish born directors of companies in Britain. Ireland is the UK's fifth largest export market, ahead of Brazil, India and China combined.

If the relationship between the UK and Ireland was to change as a result of the upcoming referendum and we were faced with trade barriers and tariffs then the consequences for the Irish economy could be significant, particularly for Border counties like Louth. The easy movement of people and goods between the two countries is extremely important to us and we do not want to go back to the bad old days of Border controls or to a dramatic increase in cross-Border smuggling, which I firmly believe could happen, as a direct result of a UK exit.

Should the UK leave the EU then Northern Ireland would no longer have access to vital EU funding for cross-Border projects which in turn would pose a real challenge for cross-Border co-operation and would have a significant impact on services and infrastructure in areas like Louth.

There are many benefits to EU funding which can be seen on both sides of the Border. We have made great strides in recent years in the area of cross-Border co-operation and it is extremely important that we do everything possible to protect this progress. The Irish Government has worked over the recent decades very closely with UK counterparts to facilitate peace in the North and this process was helped by very valuable EU supports. The close co-operation was clearly seen by the recent Stormont House and Fresh Start agreements which were co-facilitated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Flanagan.

I know from living in a Border county that the people of Louth are aware of the importance of continuing with the very close relationship we currently enjoy with the UK. It is important that we do our utmost to ensure that the level of co-operation with the UK, which we have enjoyed over the last 40 years, is maintained and strengthened. However, we must also prepare ourselves for the possibility of the UK voting in favour of leaving the EU and we must make the necessary arrangements to make the transition as smooth as possible. I urge all Government Departments to have contingency plans in place in the event of a UK exit from EU. I wish to put on record that I am in favour of the UK staying in the EU and I fully support the Government's efforts to highlight to the British public the many benefits of retaining their membership of the EU in the upcoming referendum.

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