Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Go ginearálta, cuirim fáilte roimh an mBille seo, in ainneoin go bhfuil sé beagáinín déanach, i gcodarsnacht leis na tíortha eile ar fud na hEorpa a chuir reachtaíocht trí na parlaimintí éagsúla atá acu i bhfad roimhe seo. Is rudaí praiticiúla den chuid is mó atá sa Bhille de réir mar a fheicim ach ní raibh a dhóthain ama fós dul trí na sonraí. An rud is suntasaí ná go bhfuil easpa trácht d'Údarás na Gaeltachta, ceann de na heagraíochtaí is tábhachtaí sa tír ó thaobh na Gaeltachta de agus ó thaobh na Gaeilge de. B'fhéidir go dtiocfaidh mé ar ais go dtí sin.

I welcome the digest prepared by the Oireachtas Library and Research Service, which I thank for its work and for updating Deputies. The digest points out that some areas included in the heads of Bill do not form part of the Bill as published. Perhaps a member of the Government will explain why various sections are no longer included. I pay tribute to the Oireachtas Library and Research Service for its work.

Any discussion on Brexit and this omnibus legislation must be premised on chomh fite fuaite is atá saol na ndaoine sa tír seo agus saol na ndaoine sa Bhreatain Mhór. The common travel area has been in existence for almost 100 years. I am glad it is being addressed and put on a statutory footing for the first time. It shows how interconnected are the countries. If I have any criticism of the Government - and I have many - it is that we should have shown solidarity with the United Kingdom, regardless of our opinions on Brexit, given how interconnected are the two countries. In 2001, there were 869,000 Irish-born people in England. That number has reduced significantly but there are still more than 600,000 Irish-born people living in England. One in ten people there has an Irish grandfather or grandmother. Of course, there are many others of Irish descent there. England took in our people, including members of my family, during the massive emigration from this country in the 1950s, 1960s and before. When people were ejected from mother and baby homes at 16 years of age with little other than the clothes on their backs, England picked up the pieces and dealt with our shame. From day one, regardless of our opinion on Brexit or the Brexiteers, for whom I have no respect, we should have prefaced all conversation and negotiation about Brexit on our interconnectedness.

We must not accept the return of a hard border under any agreement. Bhí óráid le déanamh agam le déanaí Dé hAoine seo caite i gContae Muineacháin maidir le Conradh na Gaeilge agus chuaigh mé suas i mo ghluaisteán, rud neamhghnách gur thiomáin mé suas, agus is dócha gur thrasnaigh mé an Teorainn ar a laghad trí nó ceithre huaire agus ní raibh i gceist ach trí huaire go leith mar thuras. There are 110 million crossings of the Border annually. It is difficult to get one's head around that. Some 300 daily crossing are made by bus. On Thursday of last week, I crossed the Border two or three times. Perhaps the third crossing was unnecessary - I may have gone a little astray - but it shows the interconnectedness between Northern Ireland and the Republic, and the Republic and the United Kingdom.

I looked at the Bill as much as I could, although I am not familiar with all of its detail. I read it but not in as much detail as I would like. I look forward to Committee Stage. Various sections deal with practical matters relating to social welfare, students, healthcare and so on, which is welcome. The area that jumped out at me on reading the Bill and when the Chairs of Oireachtas committees received our first presentation on the matter from the Tánaiste - I was there mar Chathaoirleach ar an gCoiste na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus na n-Oileán - is Part 3, dealing with the amendment of the Industrial Development Acts, which is set out on page 17. While I acknowledge that help must be given to struggling businesses and companies, I am worried by the open nature of what is proposed in the Bill. For instance, research and development has come up repeatedly at the Committee of Public Accounts in regard to corporation tax. Deputy Coppinger mentioned the absence of criteria for and the open nature of the research and development tax credit. Perhaps the issue will be sorted out on Committee Stage, but research and development is one of the methods used by larger companies to escape paying their just taxes. That category is broadened in the Bill without criteria being set down. The sections amending the Industrial Development Acts must be looked at.

I refer to the glaring absence of Údarás na Gaeltachta in that regard. Tá fáilte roimh an Taoiseach isteach sa Dáil agus is iontach an rud é go bhfuil sé anseo because tá an t-ábhar thar a bheith tábhachtach. Údarás na Gaeltachta does not feature in the Bill. I have made inquiries in that regard. In fairness, Deputy Kyne, an tAire Stáit, tháinig sé ar ais chugam agus dúirt sé liom nach bhfuil aon cúis buartha i gceist, that there is no need to worry and that Údarás na Gaeltachta is covered under this section but I do not see any such provision. Yesterday, Údarás issued a detailed press statement referring to extra analysis it carried out. Two years ago, it made money available for people to get advice to deal with the complexity of what was facing them as a result of Brexit. It has now carried out further research and stated that of the more than 1,100 companies or entities on its books, it has identified 25 as being particularly vulnerable. The press release referred to a memorandum of agreement between Enterprise Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta. Lately, we found out that there is no memorandum or other understanding between IDA Ireland and Údarás, which is a significant shock. At least, there is one with Enterprise Ireland, although I am not familiar with its contents. It did not arise in the context of Brexit. I do not know what is necessary in that regard. I am being given broad assurances which I would love to accept but I would much rather see on what legislative basis go mbeidh tuilleadh cumhachta agus tuilleadh acmhainní ag Údarás na Gaeltachta, that it will have extra resources to deal with what it is facing in regard to its client companies. In spite of the press ráiteas, the press release, and the update, I do not see anything in the Bill to reassure me in that regard. Perhaps that can issue be teased out on Committee Stage.

I welcome the decision of Revenue to delay the introduction of 23% VAT on food supplements, particularly in the context of Brexit, because it would have been amaideach chun leanúint ar aghaidh leis an méadú sin maidir le VAT. I acknowledge that the introduction has only been postponed until 1 November but I welcome the decision and the fact that the Government used what influence it has over Revenue. I acknowledge that the Revenue Commissioners are independent, but the fact that the Government intervened is welcome. It is a response to the outrage on the ground and gives the Government to consider its tax policy in the context of Brexit - because Revenue only implements policy - and the operational issues on the ground which led to the decision to impose the 23% VAT rate. The decision was down to operational issues. It was a blanket punitive decision and I welcome its postponement. I would welcome further discussion of this issue on Committee Stage.

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