Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is nice to have this opportunity. In just a few days' time, on 9 March, we will mark eight years since the Fine Gael and Labour Government was sworn into office. It was a time of unprecedented challenges and sacrifice for the Government, this country and indeed our people. Some 2,000 of our graduates and young people were emigrating every single week, the live register was bulging at the seams and there were 430,000 people unemployed. Our international reputation was in tatters, our credibility, in the eyes of many, was beyond repair and we were a nation that was deeply hurting. The date of 9 March is a day I personally will never forget as it was the day I was appointed Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence by the then Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny. I do not need to remind this House of the hugely difficult decisions taken by the Fine Gael and Labour Government, and indeed the sacrifices made by the Irish people, which helped bring this country back from the brink and to a place now where we are near full employment. As Fine Gael approaches its eighth anniversary in office, it deeply saddens me that we are now talking about the same kind of fears and anxieties as we were back in March 2011.

Every single Deputy in this House has, on a daily basis, listened closely to the concerns of families, businesses, the agricultural community as I well know in my constituency of Wexford, and various other stakeholders up and down the country, who have so much to lose in the event of a disorderly Brexit. From my perspective as a Minister of State and Deputy for Wexford, I know only too well the potential impact a hard Brexit will have on the south east region. I will touch on some of those challenges later. Let this House and the wider public be assured that this Government wants nothing more than for Brexit to be avoided. Leaving the European Union is not our policy, and it never will be.

As Minister of State at the Department of Defence, I know the importance of the relationship between Ireland and the UK from a military and wider defence perspective. The Irish Defence Forces have had a long-term relationship with the UK armed forces, particularly focussing on military training and capability development. Officers and personnel from the Defence Forces have attended staff courses and technical training courses in UK military colleges. Similarly, personnel from the UK armed forces have attended staff and training courses in the Curragh and peacekeeping courses in the United Nations Training School Ireland, UNTSI.

In January 2015, Ireland signed a memorandum of understanding, MOU, with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence on co-operation on certain security and defence related matters. The MOU takes into account such matters as military forces education, training, exercises and staff exchanges; potential joint contributions to UN crisis management operations; joint contributions to security sector reform and capacity building in crisis locations; joint procurement initiatives; exchange of information and experience in relation to reform in the provision of defence services; and classified information exchange. A three year action plan on the implementation of the MOU was finalised between my Department and the UK Ministry of Defence in January 2015 and will be subject to review and renewal in 2019. I am glad to state that the MOU is unconnected to Brexit and was designed to formalise the already extensive linkages and co-operation across the defence organisation, both civil and military. The MOU will continue to provide the framework for our co-operation with the UK in the defence field post-Brexit.

This House can rest assured that this Government is preparing and pressing ahead with all of the necessary measures in the context of no-deal planning. Of course, I and my fellow Government Deputies welcome the tentative signs of hope we are seeing from Westminster as Prime Minister Theresa May does everything in her power to ensure the passing of the withdrawal agreement. Without doubt, the EU has been steadfast in its support for Ireland's clear position on the backstop and the need to uphold and protect the hard fought values underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement. While this Government, and indeed the EU, is prepared to be flexible in the coming days, we will not and cannot stand over any situation where a hard border is restored with Northern Ireland.

I have had these discussions with my fellow defence Ministers across the European Union over recent months and years. Let me put on record in this House that at no point did I detect anything other than complete solidarity from our EU colleagues with our position. That support is the result of years upon years of relationship building that Ireland has engaged in as part of our proud membership of the EU. No more evident are these relationships, and indeed strategic alliances, than through our joint peacekeeping missions around the world, let it be the EU training mission in Mali, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF or the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL.

These are examples of missions where European nations come together in significant numbers to protect communities in some of the most volatile regions in the world.

As a nation that prides itself on its peacekeeping record, it will come as no surprise that Ireland's main commitments overseas are to UNIFIL and to UNDOF on the Golan Heights. The UNIFIL mission is Ireland’s largest overseas mission, with 458 personnel deployed. Irish troops served as part of a joint Irish-Finnish battalion in UNIFIL until November 2018 when, due to other national commitments, Finland withdrew. As an interim measure, an additional contingent of approximately 106 Defence Forces personnel have been deployed to the UNIFIL mission to cover the backfilling of the Finnish contingent for a 12-month period. Since then, my officials in the Department of Defence, in conjunction with military management, have been actively seeking new partners in UNIFIL for when the backfilling period comes to an end in November. I am delighted to inform the House that these efforts have proven fruitful and we are now in advanced talks with Poland and Hungary to join our personnel in UNIFIL. This is yet another clear example of the benefits of our EU membership, which has seen Ireland develop an unbroken and, indeed, unrivalled record, as a peacekeeping nation.

Ever since the UK took the fateful decision to leave the EU, the Government has worked tirelessly to protect and safeguard our economy from the implications of Brexit. Just last month, I led a delegation to Brussels to meet the Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, and our Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan. Central to the meeting was the impact of Brexit on connectivity, particularly regarding Rosslare Europort. The delegation included Glenn Carr, general manager of Rosslare Europort, Tony Larkin, director of services at Wexford County Council, Keith Doyle, chairman of Wexford County Council, Chris Smyth of Perennial Freight and Barry Kenny of Irish Rail. I took this initiative to ensure Wexford and Rosslare Europort stakeholders work together to be fully prepared for whatever Brexit scenario comes our way. In particular, we raised concerns about maintaining the UK landbridge between Ireland and Europe post Brexit and the need for investment in Rosslare with a view to it becoming a tier 1 port. The landbridge issue is very important for many in the south east, including Slaney Foods and mushroom growers. I thank both Commissioners for being so receptive to our concerns.

Rosslare Europort must be at the centre of the Government’s Brexit planning, particularly in light of confirmation from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that Rosslare will be nominated as a border inspection post by the end of March. In order for Rosslare to be Brexit-proofed, it is important that the Government considers significant investment in the surrounding infrastructure, including the link road to the port. Wexford County Council is in discussions with Transport Infrastructure Ireland in this regard and it is something I have raised, and will continue to raise, with my Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross. At our meetings in Brussels, it was made clear to the delegation that funding streams are available to Ireland from the EU that will, if availed of, significantly enhance the port. It seems a no-brainer that all stakeholders, including the Government, Wexford County Council, the management of Rosslare Europort, TII and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport should work together to seek this funding.

When we look closely at the concerns being raised on all sides of the House, it becomes crystal clear that we are facing one of the most critical periods in our country's history. I come from an agricultural constituency where I hear the concerns of beef, dairy and tillage farmers and the concerns of the tourism industry about the fallout from Brexit. I commend the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach and the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy McEntee, on their commitment and on the work they have put in over recent years to ensure that Ireland's message is clearly heard. We see this in the support from all of the members states of the EU for our position. In order to Brexit-proof the country, our sectors, our stakeholders, our workers, our employers and, especially, our families, it is vital that we pass the Bill in a timely manner. I compliment the Opposition on its support for the Bill and its understanding on the need to pass this very important legislation.

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