Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are debating the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020 and by any standards this is comprehensive legislation. It is the second omnibus Bill dealing with Brexit to come before the House. The Bill involves nine Government Departments and has 19 Parts. It aims to protect citizens' rights and support the economy, enterprise and jobs. It sets out to protect the Common Travel Area and to facilitate North-South co-operation. It is clear to me that civil servants across those nine Government Departments have put a huge amount of time and effort into this Bill and we should acknowledge the work they have done in this regard.

Where do we stand regarding reaching an agreement on a new trade deal as negotiations between the EU and the UK intensify? The EU certainly wants a deal with the UK, but not at any cost. It seems there are significant differences in respect of fishing rights, issues in respect of a level playing field and governance. Discussions are still at a technical level. The UK is engaged in brinkmanship and time is running out. One thing is clear, however. A deal is in everyone's best interests. Let us hope that the negotiations will be successful.

The issue of trust is of major concern, however. The publication of the Internal Market Bill has severely dented the trust the EU has in the UK. That Bill gives the UK Government the power to break the Ireland-Northern Protocol in the withdrawal agreement. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is still ruling out removing these provisions from the Bill and he has informed the President of the European Commission that he is proceeding with the Bill in its current form despite the House of Lords having voted to remove the offending clauses. The signs are not good, therefore. There is little trust in evidence. Let us hope, therefore, that a free trade agreement can be reached.

I warmly congratulate former Vice President Joe Biden on his election as President of the United States of America. The President-elect favours free trade over protectionism, he believes in multilateral diplomacy and participation in international organisations. He is also committed to tackling climate change. This is all good for Ireland and the EU. President-elect Biden is obviously a good friend of Ireland. During the presidential election campaign, he warned that there could be no UK-US trade agreement if there is any threat to the Good Friday Agreement or the introduction of a hard Border on the island of Ireland. His support is most welcome and it will, no doubt, be crucial in the months ahead.

It is notable that this week Sinn Féin and Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, which make up the Northern Ireland Executive, wrote to the European Commission expressing concern on behalf of supermarkets regarding the paperwork that will be required in respect of agrifood coming from Britain. The Executive requested a waiver from this bureaucracy for these products. This is a significant request and is yet another issue that must be resolved in the context of the current negotiations. This is a rare display of unity between the DUP and Sinn Féin, so hopefully the European Commission can respond positively to their letter.

Part 16 of this Bill aims to ensure that there is a mechanism in place to allow extradition between Ireland and the UK, following its departure from the EU. On the European arrest warrant scheme, reports in the newspapers last weekend stated that the European Commission is unhappy about Ireland's operation of this system and about delays in carrying out extraditions in particular. I hope the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, can address this matter when she is debating her part of the Bill, perhaps on Committee Stage.

An agreement is in everyone's best interests. A report by the UK's National Audit Office, recently published, stated that 40% to 70% of hauliers are unprepared for Brexit and that there could be queues of up to 7,000 trucks at Channel crossings. I note what the Taoiseach had to say on British television in recent days about the need for an agreement and how that will be in the interests of the UK and the EU. Any reports coming from a UK source clearly indicate that as the case. That brings me to the position of Irish hauliers and how prepared they are for Brexit. The Government is advising exporters to switch to direct ferry services to the Continent, rather than going through Britain. Stena Line and Irish Ferries are providing services from Dublin and Rosslare to Cherbourg. However, the Irish Road Hauliers Association, IRHA, is warning that there is not enough capacity on these planned services. It is questioning the report of the Irish Maritime Development Organisation, IMDO, which concluded that there is enough capacity for the number of lorries needing direct access. We must be sure about this aspect of the situation at this stage and ensure that exporters and importers can get their goods onto the Continent and into Ireland in as efficient a manner as possible. It seems to me that there is work to be done in this area.

I also take this opportunity to address another matter confronting the EU, namely, rule of law issues. As we know, there are rule of law problems in Hungary and Poland. A serious example of this is the introduction of so-called LGBT-free zones in Poland, which none of us supports. I welcome, therefore, the provisional agreement reached last week, whereby the provision of EU Covid-19-related funding will now be dependent on compliance with the rule of law and adherence to EU values. The provisional agreement is between the European Council and the Members of the European Parliament, MEPs. I am sure the Minister of State is fully aware of the most recent developments. I know he has raised these rule of law issues at EU level, as well as here in the Dáil in the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. There is more work to be done on this issue, but what has been agreed so far is most welcome.

This is significant legislation. It is a weighty Bill and deals with many matters concerning the Republic of Ireland and the UK. It is the second omnibus Bill brought before this House dealing with Brexit. I am pleased that we are addressing these issues and I am hopeful there will be no hiccups on 1 January, regardless of whether a trade agreement has been reached. We are prepared and that is most welcome. Irish businesses need to prepare for Brexit. It goes without saying, but time is running out, businesses need to be taking measures to deal with the situation, with or without a trade deal being in place on 1 January. I implore them to do what must be done.

People are concerned. The hauliers are concerned, supermarkets in Northern Ireland are concerned and there are even concerns about possible shortages here in the Republic of Ireland. We hope the move on 1 January will go without significant problems, but we must be as prepared as we can. This Bill deals with these outstanding issues.

No doubt if there are any other issues that emerge between now and the end of the year, more legislation can be considered by the House. I hope that we will get a trade agreement. The negotiations are intensifying and I guess that silence is golden because we are not hearing much leaking from the talks currently under way in the UK. It is in everybody's interest that we do get a trade agreement and an agreement in general on all the other various issues under consideration. I commend the Bill to the House.

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