Dáil debates

Thursday, 7 May 2020

5:25 pm

Photo of Peter FitzpatrickPeter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I come from the Border area, where people are concerned about what is happening in the North and in the South, and the different approaches on both sides, especially given the high rate of the coronavirus in the Border areas. With the bank holiday weekend approaching in the North, people are afraid that a big wave of people will come from the North to the South and vice versa. Will the Tánaiste tell us what is happening in that regard?

While the Tánaiste commented on the issue earlier, it is disappointing that an EU office will not open in Belfast. I hope that we will not be pawns in the game played between the EU and the UK. Will the Tánaiste elaborate on that?

Dundalk businesspeople say there is a lack of information available. They need a roadmap or guidance from the Government on what will happen. I accept this has been discussed but there is concern in the area and it will not go away. Will there be a hard border? Will there be customs checks on the Border? What is the situation with tariffs? How will workers be treated on both sides of the Border going from Dundalk to the North and vice versa? There is a great deal of concern in that regard. People do not understand the rules, which is why a roadmap is so important. They want to know the rules about importing and exporting to Britain, the regulations, the licences, the certificates and so on. They are concerned in particular about the treatment of cross-Border workers. It is important that this is clarified. If there is going to be a hard border, people worry about how long it will take them to go to and fro and to commute. They are the kinds of problems.

A while ago we discussed car insurance. Will car insurance be valid both North and South or what will happen in that regard? The issue is especially relevant in Dundalk, where we have a lovely college, the Dundalk Institute of Technology, and many students come down from the North. We want to know whether circumstances will stay as they are in both jurisdictions. Other issues that have been discussed include mobile phones and roaming, which took a long time to get sorted out. People have become very concerned about that.

Also, we have a good relationship with our Northern counterparts in the healthcare services.

I accept I have asked a lot of questions and that we seem to be going back to square one. The most important thing the Tánaiste can tell us is whether the Government will have a roadmap for Brexit in the near future.

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