Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister knows, the Tory Government in London under Theresa May will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty today, before we finish this session of the Dáil. The process of Britain leaving the European Union has begun; the clock is now ticking on Brexit. The intention of the British Government is also to drag the North of Ireland out of the European Union, in spite of the democratically expressed will of the people of that part of our island. This will have a profound effect on all sections of our people, the economy, and on agreements, particularly the Good Friday Agreement. As the Minister will also know, the people in the North rejected Brexit last June when they voted in the referendum to remain within the European Union. He may also know that they rejected the politics of English Toryism in the recent Assembly elections. The Conservative Party received just 2,399 votes. Although that was 2,399 votes more than Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil received, the English Tories have no mandate in Ireland.

Brexit is not just an issue for the North. It is a serious threat to the island as a whole, to the shopkeeper in Derry, the small farmer in Louth, the businessperson in Dublin, the fishing communities along our coast, the multinationals, and the college student down in Cork. It is clear, however, that the North of Ireland could and must be assigned special designated status within the European Union. It is a very thoughtful proposition and the only option that provides for the intricacies of the problem and will also ensure that the democratically-expressed wishes of the people are respected. It will allow communities to flourish, businesses to continue to trade freely, workers to cross the Border and, crucially, the rights of EU citizens in the North to be fully upheld.

There can be no hardening of the Border in any way - not physically, fiscally or psychologically. Up to 30,000 workers are cross-Border, while 7% of employees in the North are drawn from the European Economic Area. Our agrifood industry is almost completely integrated across the island. This special designated status is not just the position of Sinn Féin. The Dáil supports it. The majority of the parties returned to the Assembly in the North support it. Crucially, it would allow the whole of the island to remain in the EU together, which surely must be the aim of everyone in this Chamber. I put it to the Minister that the Taoiseach must enter any forthcoming negotiations to defend the democratic mandate of the people in the North to remain within the EU, and that he must act in Ireland's national interest. Will the Government commit to adopting this negotiating position of designated special status within the European Union?

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