Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like Deputy Haughey, I welcome the Taoiseach's comments at the association's conference. I wish to refer to the European Commission's proposals last week regarding the protocol. Naturally, the Taoiseach and his colleagues in government will have contributed to the discussions in order to remove as many obstacles as possible. When I engage with people in Northern Ireland, be they business people or community members, they want to see us getting on with the daily work of doing business, growing trade, creating and maintaining jobs, and protecting employment. What the European Commission has outlined can go a long way towards removing obstacles to trade. We welcome the development of more trade on a North-South and South-North basis. Any obstacle to that should be removed and I hope that the protocol issues can be resolved.

It is important that we as the Oireachtas continue to reject the British Government's proposals for an amnesty for people who committed horrific crimes, including the murder and maiming of people. Regardless of whether they were in state forces, paramilitary organisations or other criminal gangs, the perpetrators must not get away with what they did if possible. We all know many families who have lost loved ones. What they are seeking is the truth. It is not a vendetta. Under no circumstances should investigations be shut down. People are at least entitled to the truth about what happened to their loved ones.

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