Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Táim buíoch as an deis labhairt ar cheist an Bhreatimeachta. An tseachtain seo, dúirt aire de chuid Rialtas na Breataine, Michael Gove, nach mbeidh síneadh ar bith leis an dáta 31 Nollaig i mbliana. Cuireann sé sin imní orainn i Sinn Féin mar tá a fhios againn nach bhfuil dul chun cinn maith á dhéanamh sna cainteanna.

This week the British Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove, ruled out an extension to the transition period that will end on 31 December later this year, again setting Britain on a collision course with the EU and Ireland towards a no-deal Brexit. As we deal with the public health threat and the economic damage caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, the threat that a hard Brexit poses to Ireland, its people and their livelihoods has not disappeared and is very real. The timelines to negotiate a future trade deal with the British Government are becoming shorter by the day, with Michel Barnier stating at a press conference last month that never in the history of such important negotiations with any third country have we been under such time pressure, with no progress made since then. Mr. Barnier also noted the intransigence displayed by the British Government on issues such as justice, fisheries, rules and standards, undermining commitments given by both sides in the political declaration.

The Tánaiste earlier admitted that progress has not been good in the most recent round of negotiations, warning we could reach another crisis point in the negotiations. Given that we are under the terms of the withdrawal agreement, an extension of the transition period must be agreed before 1 July of this year. I am sure that earlier today the Tánaiste heard the EU Commissioner, Phil Hogan, say on national radio that there is no real sign the British are approaching the negotiations with a plan to succeed, and he is somebody involved in the negotiations along with Michel Barnier.

We need to acknowledge that we have reached a real crisis point, a fact that has been obscured by the separate crisis we face from Covid-19. I am sure the Tánaiste will address and has addressed the progress that has been made in specific areas of negotiation but can we all agree that given the unprecedented challenges we are facing from the pandemic, the intransigence of the British Government in recent negotiations and the grave threat it poses to jobs and livelihood across the island, we need to impress on our colleagues in the British Parliament and the British Prime Minister the need to seek an extension to the transition arrangements and that such an extension needs to be sought without delay? With the deadline for an extension less than two months away, this must be a priority for this Government and for our European partners. Without such an extension in place, we potentially face another cliff edge which would devastate our economy and which threatens supply chains. That would not be good at any time but given the situation we find ourselves in, it would be devastating to workers, employers and industry across the island of Ireland.

The crisis manufactured by the British Government around the establishment of an EU office in Belfast, in order to monitor and facilitate the implementation of the Irish protocol, is another example of Britain negotiating in bad faith. There was no issue with this office in the North. This dispute was generated by the British Government itself. The British Government was determined to stoke tensions where none existed, even though it supported the continuing presence of an EU office in Belfast as recently as February 2019. In a letter sent from the permanent secretary to Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the EU 14 months ago, the British Government outlined its wish for the EU to keep its office in Belfast open. The British Government's outright rejection of this office as we enter the critical window of negotiations represents a warning sign that it has no interest in facilitating the Irish protocol, which is committed to in the withdrawal agreement that was ratified by both sides. The backstop was put in place to protect the all-Ireland economy and our peace process and the actions of the British Government signal bad faith in its commitment to implementing this. We need to ensure that is not the case. I welcome the Tánaiste's reference to the commitment he has from the British Government on implementing this in full but we need to be wise to what is also happening on the sidelines, particularly in its stance on the Belfast office. As one university professor of EU and international law put it: "The Achilles' heel of the Northern Ireland protocol is that it relies on the UK to implement it." Given the bad faith displayed by the British Government and the real threat a no-deal Brexit poses to Ireland, the best course of action at this point in time is to extend the transition arrangements.

I will put questions to the Tánaiste later on about the fishing industry, an industry that is important in my constituency in Killybegs. One third of the catch is caught in what would become British waters. This will have a huge impact on jobs and the economy. We will talk about that later on.

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