Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Barnier to the Chamber today to engage with this committee of the Dáil and Seanad and to hear directly about our concerns surrounding the UK's decision to leave the European Union and the negotiations that are about to take place on the future relationship with the UK. I believe the EU does not have a history of having at heart the interests of the Irish people in dealing with us in the past. Hopefully, through the negotiations around Brexit, an outcome can be achieved that will change that.

I represent the constituency of Donegal, which is the most northerly part of Ireland. Donegal has a land border of approximately 15 km with the rest of the Republic of Ireland. We stand therefore to be the most impacted region of Ireland from Brexit. My county has suffered from its isolation since the partition of Ireland after independence in 1921, and has only in recent years started to recover from that isolation. A hard Brexit, if it comes, will have a huge impact on the county. There are three main areas that could particularly be affected, which are the economy - and the fishing industry in particular - cross-Border workers and students, and the provision of health care. While an arrangement for trade will probably dominate the negotiations, access to fishing stocks is vitally important for the entire Irish fishing industry but particularly for the industry in County Donegal. Unfortunately, the EU does not have a good record when it comes to the treatment of Irish fishing, going back to when we negotiated to join the EEC, as it then was in the 1970s. It will be vitally important that access to fishing grounds is negotiated alongside the trade negotiations that will take place. This is the only way to ensure the survival of communities that depend on fishing. As more than 35% of the Irish quota that Irish fishermen catch is caught in UK waters, the continued access for fishermen to the fishing grounds is vital. Indeed, the value of fish caught in UK waters is higher than the percentage would suggest, being almost 50% of the total value of our catch. The importance of a fair negotiation and outcome cannot be over-stressed for us.

There is a compelling case for special status for Northern Ireland after Brexit that will recognise that we will have the only land border with a UK jurisdiction and that the possibility of a future reunification, as has already been outlined, has been provided for in the Good Friday Agreement. Approximately 30,000 people cross the Border to work every day, and many more thousands of students are studying in the North. Maintaining the common travel area in order that these workers and students can continue to participate is vitally important for us.

Donegal's isolation has meant we have suffered from under-developed health services and neglect in provision from successive Governments that have had a totally Dublin-centred model for the provision of services such as health. Just last year, a radiotherapy centre was opened in Derry city, part-funded by the Irish Government, to give access to cancer patients from Donegal within a reasonable journey time from their homes for treatment. The future relationship with Northern Ireland has to ensure bilateral arrangements such as these can continue to be developed for the betterment of all our citizens, North and South.

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