Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise on behalf of Deputy Gerry Adams who is unable to attend today. Deputies will be aware of where he is and what he is doing.

The issue of Brexit has been raised by Deputies in this debate and during Oral Questions earlier. We were repeatedly informed that the most recent meeting of the European Council would project an image of unity among member states ahead of the Brexit negotiations and the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome. The meeting was, however, coloured by the Polish Government's attempt to remove Donald Tusk as the President of the European Council. When it failed to stop Mr. Tusk's re-election Poland blocked the Council conclusions from being unanimously agreed. This dispute overshadowed the rather rosy picture of the European Union the governments of member states wanted to paint. Not surprisingly, therefore, the conclusions of the meeting released by President Tusk's office did not refer to Brexit.

The Taoiseach held a bilateral meeting with the British Prime Minister and we now know precisely when the British Government plans to trigger Article 50, namely, on 29 March. Against all sense and democratic reason, the British Government is persisting with its plan to impose Brexit on Ireland. Its determination to impose Brexit on the North despite the vote of its population underlines the undemocratic nature of partition and the unequal relationship between London and Belfast. The clock is ticking on this issue.

We must act urgently and decisively by standing up for the national interest at European level to secure special designated status for the North within the European Union in the context of the Good Friday Agreement. This is the only logical way to avoid a hard economic Border, job losses and business closures. It is also the demand of the Oireachtas following the passage of Sinn Féin's motion on Brexit calling for such status.

We must also address major economic issues such as securing a relaxation of the fiscal rules to enable Ireland to adequately respond to the damage Brexit will inevitably do. We need capital investment to upgrade the road network and other transport infrastructure, including external transport hubs such as ports and airports.

Will the Minister of State confirm that the Taoiseach discussed with the British Prime Minister the issue of providing special status for the North? The Taoiseach was asked a specific question on this issue but it remains unclear as to whether he raised the matter at the meeting. Will the Government press to have special status and other issues that have been raised with EU governments addressed before 29 March?

5 o’clock

This Saturday, EU Heads of State will meet to mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. During this ceremonial summit, it is reported that the leaders will recommit their vow to European integration in a short political declaration but, again, this anniversary is not the time for celebrations or another excuse for the status quoto continue. The EU needs to begin fundamental change if people are to have any faith in it. Further erosion of the national sovereignty of member states is clearly not the answer and we cannot move towards a more neoliberal, centralised Europe at the expense of ordinary people who, in many cases, cannot even put food on the table or maintain a roof over their heads. If there is to be meaningful change, the Union needs to step up and prioritise public investment in infrastructure, health, housing and building the real economy. We also need democratic and transparent accountability over the European institutions and the euro. Rather than putting a sticking plaster on the huge cracks and faults within the EU and simply looking back at the signing of the Treaty of Rome, leaders need to look forward to the now and begin the fundamental task of fixing the problems that are evident for all to see. What is certainly not required is the increasing transfer of sovereign powers to Brussels. The EU needs to adopt a new approach and begin to use its vast array of powers to deliver the positive change for European citizens within its remit and, where possible, appropriately help member states. We need to build a progressive, prosperous and social Europe which respects sovereignty, a Europe that does not express meaningless drivel and vague notions of solidarity and support but implements policies that will build and support a real inclusive Europe.

I have a number of questions for the Taoiseach but he has left. Perhaps the Minister of State can address them. Irish citizen, Ibrahim Halawa, has been detained in Egypt for more than three and a half years without trial. Was his case raised with our European counterparts at the Council meeting, which we repeatedly asked for in this Chamber? Ibrahim has been charged as part of a sinister mass trial, which has collapsed and been postponed 19 times. Let us be honest and forthright. He has no chance of receiving a fair and just trial. Ibrahim has been moved to a prison hospital because of his failing health. He is receiving glucose injections for critically low blood sugar levels and he is confined to a wheelchair. My colleague, Lynn Boylan MEP, best summed it up when she described his spirit as being finally broken. His condition has deteriorated rapidly after embarking on his latest hunger strike. It is time for direct intervention by the Government to save the life of its citizen. We asked the Taoiseach to push for a presidential decree and he belatedly agreed to do that. We also called on him to seek Ibrahim's release under a youth amnesty. To date, 285 young prisoners have been released by President al-Sisi under the amnesty, yet Ibrahim has not been one of them. His family and many of his friends and those who went to school with him who have been in touch with my office are asking why he has not been released under the amnesty. That is a fair question and if the Minister of State has some answers for us, we would be delighted to hear them. Has the Government examined taking a legal case against Egypt in the International Court of Justice? If not, will the Minister of State consider doing so? Will the Government seek the support of other member states in the case of this Irish and EU citizen?

A new report of the UN's economic and social commission launched last week rightly accused Israel of being an apartheid state. The report is a detailed analysis of Israeli legislation, policies and practices that enable the country to operate an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole, which is a crime against humanity under customary international law and the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court. This is not a surprise to any of us but it is laid bare in this report for the world to see. However, again, many refuse to act with courage and challenge Israel. The EU and the Government refuse to face the reality of Israeli apartheid and challenge it. Additionally, under new legislation, the Israeli Government is now banning people who advocate for boycotts of Israel or Israeli settlements from entering the country, which prevents them from transiting to Palestine. Last week, Mr. Hugh Lanning, the chairman of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Britain, was deported from Israel under this law. Will the Government make clear to the Israeli authorities that it is not acceptable for it to ban entry of Irish citizens who advocate for the human rights of the Palestinian people and protest against apartheid politics that violate those rights? Will it take up that challenge and sanction Israel for its international human rights violations? Will it enact the human rights clause of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and suspend the agreement? When will the Government finally recognise the state of Palestine?

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