Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this Bill which aims to protect our citizens as best we can from the consequences of a hard Brexit. Sinn Féin will table amendments to strengthen parts of it.

The reality of the British partition of our country is that we will be directly affected, North and South, by what happens. Thousands of citizens travel back and forth across the Border every day for work, school and so on. Any attempt to restrict the freedom of movement of citizens on their own island must be rejected.

I wish to raise some points highlighted by young people on Brexit. I particularly thank the Ombudsman for Children, Dr. Niall Muldoon, for taking the time to listen to and consult young people on this issue. The report by the Ombudsman for Children, entitled It’s Our Brexit Too, is a very important document. I thank the young people who took part in it for their brilliant work in outlining how they believe the future of young people on this island can be protected. So what were some of the concerns of our young people? They told the ombudsman that freedom of movement on the island should be protected. This concern was aired by, for example, young people who have families on both sides of the Border, those who play sport and those involved in an all-island music such as the Fleadh who were worried how this issue would affect them. Will sports teams be stuck in their minibus at the Border? Other young persons who live near the Border were concerned about simple things such whether they will face significant roaming charges when they cross the Border. Such roaming charges were scrapped relatively recently, in the summer of 2017. Another point very clearly raised in the report is that young people want the Good Friday Agreement to be protected in all its parts.

Young people, particularly in the North, are very concerned about what Brexit will mean for their right to study and to work and travel abroad. They are also worried about what it will mean for young people accessing services on either side of the Border.

In the context of the children and youth affairs brief, I was pleased by the reassurances of Tusla and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs that they do not foresee any issues when it comes to cross-Border fostering arrangements and that they are confident that, regardless of what happens, access, cross-Border medical care and even foster insurance cover will be maintained. I understand that the issue of possible information-sharing can be included in individual contracts, if needs be.

On the transition period, it is vital that it be used to review the current cross-border and EU child protection systems. We need to ensure it is working well. If we see a need for improvements or more co-operation, that should be given priority.

There is also a need for a very real discussion between the Irish and British Governments to determine whether the latter will continue to match EU legislation in the area of child protection. If it does not, we could have a situation in which legislation in the two jurisdictions will differ. Again, it will be our island that will face all the complications which come with that. While I understand that matters such as trade, agriculture and the economy may be the Government's first priorities, I urge it to do whatever it can to address the concerns of our young people.

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