Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak briefly on this very important subject. As my brother rightly outlined, it is right to acknowledge at the beginning that we would not be where we are without people having made what I would call very courageous decisions. If I am to mention anybody, the first would be the late Martin McGuinness. He was not only a great loss to his own family and community, but he also did great work politically over his time. Along with others, he made great moves which directly led us to where we are and to peace on our streets, which of course is of paramount importance.

On the threat posed by Brexit and all that it entails, I am very glad of the work of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs, of which I am Chairman. I thank all of the members for the work they have done to date. As the Minister knows, we travelled to Brussels and met Michel Barnier. We asked him to come here and address the Oireachtas. We also asked Guy Verhofstadt. Those trips were very significant and very timely. When Guy Verhofstadt went to the North he saw at first hand the complexity of the problems which could face the farming community there and businesses on both sides of the Border if we were thrown any type of a hard border. He saw the problems and complexities which could arise. We hope we are a big part of the way towards ensuring that we will not have any type of a hard border. If we had such a border, it would have a very destabilising effect on the whole system in Northern Ireland. We have farmers who have lands which straddle the Border. We have businesses which trade North and South. We have 30,000 people going over the Border every day. If there was to be any type of impediment or restriction on that access for goods or people it could have drastic consequences in the future.

The whole situation is still fragile. It would be neglectful not to acknowledge the work of the Minister, in particular his work over recent weeks. I would call the effort he has put into his role as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade tireless work. It would be very neglectful not to acknowledge in the House tonight the work he has been doing on the whole Brexit issue. It is a very heavy burden of responsibility but, in my opinion, he is discharging it in a very workmanlike fashion, which is nothing less than I would expect from him any day of the week. That good work has to be kept up. We all have to be united.

In recent weeks we were threatened with a completely unwanted and unnecessary general election. If that had happened during such a key time, when we were just getting through the first round of Brexit talks, it would have really put us on a very bad footing for the negotiations during that critical time. We need stability facing into the second phase of the talks. We need everybody pulling together. All of us as politicians must put our shoulders to the wheel to ensure that when Brexit is finally completed, Ireland will suffer the least impact possible. Our recovery is at such a fragile stage. We do not want anything to rock the boat or to impact adversely on our financial status, on our exports, on the trade we have with England and the rest of Europe, or on the passage of goods and people over the Border in Northern Ireland.

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