Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As a member and Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, we have been inviting civic and business groups and political representatives to present to the committee since the Brexit vote was passed. There is cross-party consensus in the committee that there will consequences for the island, not only economically but also politically, what with all of the issues around the uncertainty of the Border. Initially, we heard from both Governments that there could be absolutely no return to a hard Border, but as of yet we have not heard what is the alternative. There appears to be no urgency on this Government's part through its negotiations with the British Government to seek special status for the North or to ensure the protection of the Good Friday Agreement.

Since the publication of the British Government's White Paper on Brexit last month, the establishment of a Border between the North and South once Britain leaves the EU in 2019 has become much more of a reality. It is stated that its aim is to have as seamless and frictionless a Border as possible between Northern Ireland and Ireland. This indicates that it does consider that there will be a Border of some description. We also know that Britain could be in breach of its international obligations under the Good Friday Agreement if it presses ahead with plans to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights. There is a clear obligation on both Governments to incorporate the European Convention on Human Rights into law in both the Twenty-six Counties and Six Counties. Therefore, should the Human Rights Act be scrapped, the move would place Britain in breach of its international obligations under the Good Friday Agreement.

A recent European Parliament report warned that the British Government's Brexit agenda could require the Good Friday Agreement to be altered. It claims that the impact of Brexit will be political, particularly since the Good Friday Agreement, which is an international agreement, will require alteration. This is because of the uncertainty around the Border and what exactly its return will look like. It states that the re-establishment of a hard Border between the North and the South could provoke a reversal of improvements in cross-Border trade. That is not news to any of us. It is one of our greatest fears for Brexit. We in Sinn Féin have argued at a local, national and European level for special designated status to ensure that the North remains in the EU. The only way to ensure the consequences of Brexit for both North and South are minimised economically and politically is if the democratic wish of the people of the North of Ireland is respected and, through strong negotiations, the North receives special status and remains in the EU.

See this speech in context