Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Eamon Ryan has kindly offered a minute or two if I go over my time. It is my pleasure to contribute to these statements. I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, on the excellent work they have done in this area. They have performed well and I thank them. This withdrawal presents challenges for Ireland over and above challenges that face other EU members, particularly with regard to the frontier which exists on this island, which is of concern. This frontier will be between the EU and the UK in a post-withdrawal era. It was created in 1922 following the War of Independence. It resulted in the Civil War between 1922 and 1923 and has shaped Irish politics ever since. It is a sensitive area.

The frontier has been painstakingly dismantled over the past 20 years as a result of the Good Friday Agreement, resulting in the invisible Border that we have today. We cannot return to a visible Border, with all the potential political, economic, social and security problems which would result. What we have achieved over the past 20 years has to be protected. It was possible because Ireland and the United Kingdom were part of the European Union, and that resulted in the Good Friday Agreement, of which Ireland and the United Kingdom are co-guarantors. It is an international agreement that has brought peace to our island and that we cannot give up under any circumstances. We cannot go back to that era again. The UK withdrawal referendum did not take any cognisance of this.

None of this was taken into account.

A solution had to be found to ensure the integrity of the Good Friday Agreement was maintained and that the seamless border we have today was protected. We also have to protect the Single Market and the customs union. The backstop was devised as insurance against the development of a hard border in the event that, in the post-EU withdrawal period, a system of trade and political alignment did not ensure an invisible border. A frictionless border must be maintained. The backstop is absolutely essential to a successful withdrawal agreement. The withdrawal agreement, negotiated for a period of 20 years, takes all this into account and militates against divergence. That is the purpose of the backstop. A no-deal Brexit was not to be the manner of the UK withdrawal. Neither side wants no deal, but this appears to be a strong possibility because the United Kngdom cannot agree on what it wants or the type of Brexit it wants. Alternatives to the backstop have not been forthcoming and although it is something for the future - I hope will never be invoked - it is, unfortunately, a barrier to the present and an orderly withdrawal from the European Union.

We have concentrated on issues related to the Border, but there are other issues of importance in the withdrawal agreement such as citizens' rights, regulatory divergence, supply chain difficulties and future trading relationships. Health is a case in point. The common travel area, in the introduction of which predated the entry of Ireland and the United Kingdom into the European Union, should protect against some of the shocks of a no-deal withdrawal, but it will be difficult to predict and manage in the event that there is a no-deal Brexit. In the past few years the Joint Committee on Health has examined how we can mitigate the effects on health services. Many health services operate across the borders of Ireland and the United Kingdom and frameworks of co-operation are provided in international agreements, national legislation, service level agreements, memorandums of understanding and formal and informal arrangements. It is essential that these frameworks be protected.

All preparations related to health services have been negotiated on the basis of an orderly withdrawal. A no-deal Brexit will throw all of these carefully negotiated arrangements into disarray. There will be problems with cross-border access, particularly in the context of the cross-border directive, and the treatment abroad schemes which involve citizens from the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere in the European Union accessing services in other countries. These may be disrupted if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a deal. There may be difficulties in seeking access to medications which will leave people vulnerable and there will be shortages of some products, with delays due to transit problems through the United Kingdom and customs checks and shortages of drugs which have a half life and require refrigeration, as well as biological agents which are time sensitive. There will also be divergence between UK regulations and standards and those in EU countries and there will be a problem in the recognition of qualifications of health professionals such as nurses, doctors and others. This will have profound effects on manpower in the health service.

Co-operation is absolutely essential to provide a seamless health service across the Border between Ireland and the United Kingdom. Food and sanitary controls will also have an effect on health services because of the need to control disease. The Department of Health and the HSE need to be extremely vigilant in mitigating and managing all of these aspects of healthcare. Citizens' rights to healthcare in the European Union and the United Kingdom need to be protected and guaranteed in the event of a no-deal withdrawal in the same way that they were maintained and guaranteed in an orderly withdrawal. It is of the utmost importance that health services not be affected by the UK withdrawal, whether with or without an agreement.

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