John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Following an initial period in the immediate aftermath of the 1 January deadline, when haulage traffic was much reduced, primarily due to stockpiling by companies, we are now facing into the full implications of Brexit and the withdrawal agreement that was designed to avoid the chaos that a no-deal scenario would have introduced. Measured against the undoubted catastrophe that the failure to secure a deal would have produced, it was and is too easy to overlook the fact that, in any guise, Brexit is bad for Britain, for Europe and for the whole island of Ireland.

The initial high-profile casualty of the agreement was the fishing industry. Ireland and Germany are set to face the worst hits to their fresh fishing industries. Compared with the 2020 figures, both countries will face a cut of 15% to their fishing quotas. In Ireland’s case, this will equate to an estimated loss somewhere in the region of €43 million to the fishing sector. This is an astonishing figure and one that will present enormous challenges to the entire sector. The Government needs to put in place specific targeted supports for our fishing industry to protect against these losses. We have already witnessed Irish fishing vessels being prevented from fishing by the British Navy in what are clearly Irish waters, even if Fine Gael would have us surrender these waters to the British, as it has attempted to do under the 2013 agreement with the British, one that has not been ratified by the Dáil. The Government needs to sort this mess out and to defend our fishing rights.

While we have entered a new paradigm in our business relationship with our nearest neighbour, one that we anticipated would introduce substantial challenges, that we all agreed would require substantial preparation, and that our Government argued that every effort had been made to address, it has nonetheless become clear that not all Irish businesses were prepared for Brexit. This factor, combined with the difficulties customs and Revenue staff have to face and come to terms with in preparing new computer systems at our ports, is hampering the running of our supply chains. Every effort must be made by the Government to ensure that businesses get a handle on this with immediate effect.

The impact of Brexit is being felt severely in the North of Ireland. The empty shelves in the supermarkets resonate with the echo of the empty promises of the champions of Brexit. We in this House must continue to challenge those who seek to blame the impact of Brexit and of Tory folly on the parts of the final agreement designed to protect the Good Friday Agreement. There is no doubt that the responsibility for the effect and consequences of Brexit lie firmly and solidly at the door of the British Government. The solution to the impact of Brexit on the island of Ireland is, quite simply, the unification of the island of Ireland.

The Scottish people are very clear and becoming increasingly vocal in their belief in the independence of Scotland as the quickest and most correct route to get from under the yoke of Conservative Party mismanagement. It is apparent to the Welsh people, awake from their slumber, that the days of the union are clearly numbered. It is not, however, enough to give voice to aspirations. All of us, and the Government in particular, must put concrete plans in place, plans which are needed to respond to the challenges of Brexit and which involve all of the island of Ireland. We need to see the development of the infrastructure which will support and facilitate an all-Ireland supply chain. There is a need for all-Ireland systems, all-island corporate bodies, and above all an all-Ireland strategy designed to maximise the potential of the entire people of this island.

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