Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this debate on the worsening Brexit crisis and the Bill to address key areas should a no-deal scenario come to pass.

Following the general election in 2016, little did any of us think that, within months, all the norms of our political system would be thrown into chaos by the decision of the British people to leave the EU. The triggering of Article 50 and the two years of negotiation have constituted a dark shadow over all our attempts to build a better Ireland for all our people and to ensure that our recovering economy benefits all parts of our nation. For over two years, Members of this House have been responsible and have allowed negotiations between the EU and the UK to proceed without interruption. However, we all have looked with growing horror at the unfolding mess in the UK's political response as the prospect of a no-deal Brexit has become a plausible conclusion.

What does no deal mean for my constituency of Wicklow? Why has all this energy and focus been brought to bear on ensuring a managed Brexit, if indeed there is to be a Brexit? First, as a hotelier in Glendalough, I know what a hard border and a troubled relationship with the UK mean for our tourism sector. I remember my father working in the hotel in Glendalough when the bombs and chaos of Northern Ireland were at their peak in the late 1970s. Up to the time of the Troubles, Glendalough was a favourite destination for international tourists, including those from Britain, due to the iconic nature of the site and the beauty of the landscape. When the bombs and bullets began to fly, this business practically disappeared. For most people in the UK and across the world, Ireland was a no-go area. In fact, they believed Ireland was at war. The effects of the Border and the Troubles on our business were dramatic and prolonged and slowed the growth of our brand, our destination and, indeed, our entire tourism sector for decades. The past two decades of peace have allowed the Irish tourism sector to show its true potential. We cannot underestimate the value of tourism to rural Ireland. Anything that changes this will have a detrimental effect on the tourism industry. Regrettably, my father never got to see the end of the Troubles and the rebuilding of relationships between the people of these islands but I know he would have been delighted by and proud of the role of Fianna Fáil in delivering peace and prosperity in a new relationship forged in the Good Friday Agreement.

In business terms, visitors from the UK make up a third of all those who visit Glendalough and other areas of Wicklow, the garden county. When the referendum result was announced and sterling experienced a dramatic fall, the tourism sector was immediately affected. Overnight, a visit to Ireland became more expensive and the counter to that was that the UK became more attractive. The impact of no deal on sterling and the euro will be extremely negative. For hotels engaged in the coach tour business, it is very difficult to predict the extent of the damage but there will be damage. As yet, I have not heard what are the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport's plans for this most important area. Rosslare Europort and Dublin Port are key entry points for coach tours and tourists that visit Wicklow. Where are the plans to ensure that Wicklow's tourism industry, which is vital to our economy and society, is protected?

The other essential element of the economic profile of Wicklow is agribusiness. Our agribusiness exports to the UK market are well known, as is the use of the landbridge to get our high-quality agrifood to our EU partners on mainland Europe. Farm families, agrifood industries and artisan food and drinks producers in Wicklow would all be endangered in a no-deal Brexit scenario. The very viability of their business models is being threatened by the damage to trade from a chaotic Brexit. As a businessman, I know how long it takes to plan the growth and investment future of an enterprise. All business models and all investment decisions taken require a degree of certainty in various areas such as securing finance, tax policies, logistics and supply lines and currency differentials. No business can make significant investment decisions that involve the UK while the Brexit process remains a complete shambles. Business owners come my office reporting this and asking for predictions. Neither I nor anyone else in this House can give a

prediction that can be banked on because across the water, the political leadership of the UK is totally failing in its primary task of ensuring stable governance in difficult times. We can take some pride as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Parliament. As parliamentarians, we know what is our primary duty to the people of Ireland. That is why despite many of our problems in housing and health, we have provided stability to meet the grave danger that is Brexit. At this stage, I plead with our colleagues in the House of Commons, as fellow parliamentarians, to recognise the shared relationships between our peoples and the bonds of friendship that were so hard won and to ensure that a deal is achieved or that the British people are consulted again.

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