Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for facilitating these statements. I start by commending all Ministers and civil servants who have been involved in what has been a herculean task, not just in recent months but in the past two or three years. During that time Brexit has dominated European discourse and also discourse here. I would never underestimate the amount of time, energy and goodwill that has been expended in that regard. I also express my concern that so many domestic issues have been sidelined, if not neglected, because of the time, attention and energy devoted to Brexit. I do not believe for one moment that Brexit should be regarded as cover for the Government's failures in so many domestic areas. Having said that, I recognise all of the work done and the really strong commitment of everyone involved to getting the best deal for the country.

I have to express some concerns. The Tánaiste has been very good at providing briefings for Opposition leaders and spokespersons in recent times. It was unfortunate when news of the deal broke last week that I received a brief phone call but no briefing. I am sure others were in the same position. My assumption was that there would be a substantive briefing on the issue the following day. Unfortunately, that was not the case; therefore, we did not have any opportunity to tease out some of the aspects of the draft deal. That puts many of us at a disadvantage and I will raise some concerns about it today.

Several big questions were raised in the past few weeks. There was massive concentration on whether a draft deal would get through the House of Commons and what the numbers there were. Will the deal be passed and become law and can this be done within a reasonable period of time? The other big question was what would the DUP's reaction be. These two questions have dominated everything. The question that has not been asked in the last week is whether this is a good deal for Ireland. There has been cross-party agreement on it and we have all fully supported the Government in its efforts in that regard. However, whether the deal on the table is actually in Ireland's interests is not clear. That is not to underestimate for one moment the importance of reaching a deal and recognising the best deal we can achieve. Having said that, there are serious questions marks over the deal before us, not least of which is the fact that although everybody has been talking for the last two years about the importance of the backstop as an insurance policy to safeguard this country's interests, it was dropped last week, to which very little attention has been paid. The arrangement that will apparently replace the backstop is very unusual and could be described as convoluted. I have not yet seen anybody from the Government or at EU level explain how this convoluted arrangement will work.

We have been told that the North will still be part of the United Kingdom's customs regime. We have also been told that it will be aligned with the Single Market. These two statements seem to be contradictory and nobody has spelled out what it actually means. These words and descriptions are being trotted out without explanation of how they will work. I find it hard to understand. Perhaps somebody else can explain how it will work. There are other situations where there is a soft border between two authorities. It can work reasonably well where there is an understanding between them. However, what is proposed is a border in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, where the two authorities are both UK authorities. Where are the checks and balances? Who will oversee the operation of that border in the Irish Sea? As I find it very hard to understand, I ask the Minister to explain it to us. Who will oversee what is being termed as "alignment" with the rules of the Single Market? We are talking about a third party that will potentially oversee or police these arrangements. Who will that third party be? The agreement includes talk about a working group. How will it work? How can an EU authority have a policing role between two regions of the United Kingdom?

This is an especially important question from Ireland's point of view. Until very recently we were being told that protecting the integrity of the Single Market was absolutely paramount. It is paramount to the European Union, but it is also paramount to Ireland's interests because our exports depend on the confidence of other EU member states. We want them to buy our exports with the assurance that the rules of the Single Market apply. One of the issues on the table leading up to this agreement was the importance of protecting the integrity of the Single Market for our own welfare in order that we would not have a situation where potentially inferior goods could travel from the North to the South and affect confidence in Irish goods. Given that there is to be no hard border and that the backstop is gone, how do we protect against this happening?

Given that there is to be no hard border and given that the backstop is now gone, how do we protect against that? The example of the proverbial chlorinated chicken is especially relevant in the context of a UK which is clearly intent on a race to the bottom in terms of quality standards. If a load of chlorinated chicken comes into the UK from the US, what will be the mechanism for ensuring that does not travel to Northern Ireland and come to the South? Confidence in our exports is very much dependent on what happens in the Irish Sea. There is little or no detail available on that. That concerns me. I would like to hear the Minister of State tease that out. How will the policing of that arrangement work out, who will do it and how can we be assured that inferior goods will not get onto the island of Ireland and make their way into the South? Other EU states gave warnings during the negotiations that they needed an absolute assurance that Irish goods will have the full protection and will be subject to the full rigour of the Single Market. My concern is that rigour and protection may be watered down. Can the Minister of State please assure me that is not the case?

I have a concern about the political arrangements in the North in respect of consent. I do not believe that a situation that is up for review every four years is in the interests of Northern Ireland. That creates ongoing uncertainty and political advantage for interests which may look to collapse the assembly, if it does get up and running again, but also that kind of uncertainty is not good for business confidence.

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