Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As this particular debacle continues, it is a pity that we do not have the date 30 February in which to park this legislation. Many of us hope the whole issue of Brexit will evaporate in the interests of all on these islands.

I congratulate the Oireachtas Library and Research Service on its work in presenting the facts relating to this omnibus Bill, as well as the officials in the Department who brought us, hurriedly but necessarily, to where we are today. I am conscious that Brexit will involve not just this legislation but bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding to help the process.

The Bill deals with issues such as cross-Border health services and the Co-Operation and Working Together, CAWT, Partnership. The 1,500 people who travel to Britain for their third-level education, along with the 200 who travel from Britain to here, are catered for. However, I have to remind people that when they talk about the common travel area, they need to have lived near the Border. When the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, decided on her walking holiday in Wales to hold a general election, my response was that she should walk the Border because she might have realised the issues which might be resurrected. I was born in 1958 and lived through the early part of the Troubles. I lived in pre-European Union Ireland. There was much talk last week about motorists having to get green cards. I well remember the triptyque where one had to bond one’s vehicle to ensure one brought it back. Deputy Ó Snodaigh referred to myriad Border roads. There were 38 such roads in my county alone. There was always a clear sign at the top of a blue and white pole half mile before the Border crossing indicating that one was on an unapproved road. Young people in my constituency do not even remember the concession roads. On the N53 from Dundalk to Castleblaney, one was not supposed to stop when one went through Culloville.

I fear we will go back to this. These issues are not being debated with this Bill. Thank God that if there were no backstop, there would be no deal. However, if there were no deal, there would be no backstop. That is where the difficulty will arise. The head of the PSNI stated last year any attempt to return to a hard border would result in division and violence. I thought that was scaremongering at the time but I can tell the House that the natives are restless. It is inevitable that if Britain crashes out, there will be some forms of checks on the Border regarding goods entering and leaving our country.

On matched funding, the British Government has said it will guarantee certain funds up until 2020 and that it would deliver this through a UK shared prosperity fund. A report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on this fund contains no mention of the Border counties that have suffered dereliction. The only mention of Ireland and supports relates to the Glens of Antrim, Strabane and Omagh. Will the Government make a clear commitment that it gets it in writing that the British Government will match funding for PEACE and INTERREG programmes?

Fishing seems to have gone down the river a wee bit and that we have the gunboat returning to Carlingford Lough. How will the fishermen in Clogherhead, Annagassan and along the Irish coast be affected? I did not mean to scaremonger when I asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine at the first all-island civic dialogue – I compliment the officials for organising this forum and its break-out sessions - what happens when a kilogram of Argentinian beef, bought in Newry, arrives in Dundalk? What will that do to our reputation as a green country? Some people need to be reminded of the outbreaks of BSE and foot and mouth disease that affected my constituency.

Dundalk has an all-weather horse track. How will we ensure that equine disease and related matters will be resolved for the horse racing industry in the event of a hard Brexit? What will happen to the environment? There is talk about Monsanto and Roundwood weed killer being banned. What happens if the EU decides to ban it and the British do not? Are we wasting our time? We say only our rivers run free. What is happening to water quality and waste management? In my constituency, one sees tyres discarded on the roadside. There is also the movement of domestic waste without licences. Where are the answers relating to these issues? What happens to river basin management plans for rivers which cross both sides of the divide?

The Irish Road Haulage Association has stated that, for every hour a truck will be left delayed at a Border crossing, it will cost €15 a tonne. I well remember what Dundalk was like in the days of customs clearance.

I know that will be an inevitable delay which will ultimately be placed on the consumer.

Continuing on the subject of transport, what about the taxi driver or heavy goods vehicle driver? Where is the clarity on non-Irish drivers, for example, taking a fare to Newry or driving a lorry across the Border?

On strategic transport planning, we were promised a high-speed train from Dublin to Belfast. Let us get a commitment that that will be delivered to the people of this island. Greenways have been developed North and South in joint co-operation and in memorandums of understanding. Will these programmes continue? I refer to the Narrow Water Bridge. If the British are so committed to leaving, why do they not provide funding matching that which was committed to by this Government and by my party?

What arrangement has been made to the free travel scheme for senior citizens? I ask these questions as there is no point in asking when all the memorandums, bilaterals and this legislation has passed.

What about trans-territorial co-operation and business development? The M1 corridor between Dublin and Belfast was launched recently. It is of great importance for the industries located along it. How do we ensure that the legislation allows for an all-Ireland economy?

One issue relating to health has been well covered. What is the position on organ transplants and the free movement of blood supplies?

Stride upon stride has been made in tourism. What will happen to people who arrive into either City or Aldergrove airport in Belfast, or Dublin Airport, who wish to travel in either direction and who do not have the necessary EU qualifications? Will they be prohibited from entering one or other jurisdiction?

On several occasions in this House I have raised the difficulties people in the Border region face with mobile roaming charges. This is not about the EU. It is about regularly losing calls when one goes over and back across the Border. There ought to be a clear arrangement before anything happens about mobile roaming and broadband infrastructure being shared North and South, which is something I have flagged. I might add the question whether someone can pull the plug on cables coming from America through the North of Ireland.

I refer in particular to justice. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney referred to all the nationals in England. There are 5,000 people here with British citizenship. What will happen to them in the context of the EU? There are issues around family law, such as the recognition of UK divorces or child abduction cases which are currently covered under EU legislation. Where is that being catered for? If someone living in Dundalk wishes to take a case against someone living in the North, that is not covered. That person will have to be sued, particularly if it relates to a civil matter, or the case must be taken in the jurisdiction of the individual.

The most important thing for me and the people I represent is the peace process. I referred to the head of the PSNI's comments. I do not want anything to upset the valuable peace we have. We refer to the UK as a nearest neighbours and our great trading partners, but we must protect the mechanisms for those collaborations, whether through business enterprise or politics, and whether at national parliament or local authority level. This House has the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly which operates very effectively in terms of relationships. Many of these need to be put on a stronger footing to ensure that whatever Brexit happens, we continue to build those relationships with our nearest neighbour.

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