Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have to put on the record that I acknowledge the Trojan efforts and work of the Minister and his officials. I acknowledge that because it would be wrong and unfair of me not to. Am I happy with the outcome? No, I am not, but we were put into an impossible situation as a result of the whole Brexit fiasco.

I will start with our fishermen and the Irish fleet. Our fishermen, who have been blackguarded over years and who were sold out many years ago, have been sold out again. Their potential livelihoods and those of their families have been further diminished by the deal - if one wants to call it that - that we have got. I also want to talk about the smaller fishermen who are struggling today - the inshore fishermen. These are the fishermen I represent in the county that I am from. They fish the Kenmare river and in places like Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen and Dingle. These people are struggling to make a living and this deal will impact greatly upon them and their income in a negative way.

I will also speak about the hauliers. Using the land bridge has become very cumbersome and slow. The alternatives that have been put in place, even in recent days, such as the route from Dublin to Cherbourg, are very costly. Hauliers tell me that they cannot recoup the additional expenses they face from their customers, so the situation is dreadful.

I acknowledge the recent announcement regarding the bilateral agreement on the cross-border healthcare directive, which I fought very hard for. I am glad that we will be able to continue taking people up to the North to have cataract surgery, and other surgeries, carried out for another 12-month period, although I acknowledge that these procedures should be carried out here in the South and that these people should not have to go to the North.

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