Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Brexit and Northern Ireland will next meet. [11439/22]

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Brexit and Northern Ireland will next meet. [12788/22]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Brexit and Northern Ireland will next meet. [12804/22]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on Brexit and Northern Ireland was formally established by the Government on 6 July 2020 and had its first meeting on 29 October 2020. The committee last met on 4 March 2021. A meeting scheduled for 29 November 2021 was postponed due to a Covid meeting. A meeting on 24 February 2022 also had to be postponed due to the convening of a European Council at short notice. This meeting of the Cabinet committee has now been rescheduled for Monday, 21 March.

Relevant issues arising in regard to Brexit and Northern Ireland are regularly considered at meetings of the full Cabinet. For example, the Cabinet considered two comprehensive memorandums on North-South co-operation and the shared island initiative in December. The Cabinet committee on Europe also discusses related matters and that committee met last Monday.

In addition to the meetings of the full Cabinet and of Cabinet committees, I also meet with Ministers on an individual basis to focus on particular issues, where required.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Taoiseach for his detailed response. This is an issue that many of us raise with him regularly. The events in continental Europe at this time and the fear arising from them really put Brexit into context. Nevertheless, I have a few questions for the Taoiseach. Will he outline the ongoing discussions that will continue to take place between Commissioner Šefčovič and the British Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, and her team on the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol and the importance thereof? Second, and more pertinent to the issues at hand in continental Europe, what efforts are being made between the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government on co-ordinating the response to refugee accommodation in Ireland? There is a requirement, I would argue, for an all-island approach. There have been concerning leaks in the British media from certain sources in the British Government that, somehow, the common travel area will impact on the UK. That is something we need to nip in the bud. Ireland's refugee policy is a warm and open one and is tied to our European partners. It will not be dictated to by domestic politics in Westminster.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Taoiseach's response. Earlier today, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, of which I am a member, had a meeting with the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, at which Brexit and the protocol were major issues of discussion, along with the need to implement the Good Friday Agreement fully. People with all shades of political opinion at the meeting spoke about the need for pragmatic solutions and getting a consensus on the outstanding issues. We have to be realistic and recognise there will be a very demanding agenda for all governments and for the EU given the crisis arising out of the brutality of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

There is an urgency in trying to progress the issues concerning the protocol. In the area I represent, there is, fortunately, a huge amount of cross-Border trade and enterprise. The all-island economy has grown immensely since 1998. People want to ensure that any impediments to trade, business and commerce are removed. That is coming from all shades of political opinion and from all businesses that I have dealings with, both north and south of the Border. Many enterprises are based in both jurisdictions and there is a huge interdependence, as the Taoiseach knows, between the economies on both sides of the Border. It is in the interests of all the people of this island, and of Britain, to ensure the remaining issues that need to be resolved are put to bed as soon as possible and that we can get on with our daily lives, from both a business and travel point of view, and not have impediments to the movement of people, goods or services on our island or between our islands.

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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The Assembly passed a motion last year calling for direct dialogue between it and the European Parliament.

Assembly Members recognise the need for representation of the views of citizens of the North within the EU institutions. In this regard, Sinn Féin has made several proposals, including on observer status, representation at the European Committee on the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee, the ability of Executive Ministers to participate at Council of Ministers meetings, and the participation of civil servants from the North at relevant Council working groups. Does the Taoiseach agree that the EU needs to create formal mechanisms by which the North's politicians and civil servants can engage with the EU institutions? What actions has his office taken to advance these matters?

The Taoiseach told the Dáil yesterday that he wants a citizens' assembly on neutrality. The programme for Government commits to several assemblies, for which no date has been provided, and a referendum to extend presidential voting rights to citizens outside the State. We are nearly two years into this Government's term of office, so surely the Taoiseach can provide us with some indication as to when this long-awaited referendum will take place.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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Has the Taoiseach been informed of the recent U-turn by Stormont on rents? Two weeks ago, People Before Profit proposed in Stormont a 10% rent cut for private tenants right across the North. It was passed. At the time, MLAs from the SDLP, Sinn Féin and the Alliance Party all backed the proposal but since then buckled to the landlords' pressure. They did a U-turn and, two days ago, reversed the decision at Stormont. The proposal would have given renters a much-needed break, but rather than stand up for tenants, Sinn Féin, which has the Minister, buckled under the pressure of the corporate lobbyists. We stand by our proposal for a rent cut and make the same proposal here in the South. It is to oppose the profiteering landlords and cut rents to affordable levels. Does the Taoiseach agree that rents need to come down North and South? Will he take action to ensure it happens?

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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The Border is like a wall with a thousand blocks. Each block stands for an issue of genuine concern to people North and South. Examples are the differences between cancer services, ambulance services, excise duties and VAT rates. I refer to all the various aspects of the services we consume. The differences separate us and also reduce the quality of people's lives. I call on the Government to audit all these issues and work on making progress towards equalisation so the difficulties will be removed from people's lives

and the height of the wall will be reduced. Unity, on that sunny day when it is realised, will have been much easier to achieve if the North and South have engaged in equalisation regarding a whole range of issues. Will the shared island unit within the Department work on a project such as that?

InterTradeIreland is doing considerable work in a North–South context but there is a cap on the number of people it can employ. There is a cap on its ability to increase trade North and South. Can we get to the bottom of this, le do thoil?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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On Deputy Richmond's points, in essence we welcome the fact that the EU–UK joint committee, co-chaired by Vice President Šefčovič and the UK Foreign Secretary, Ms Liz Truss, met on 21 February. We also welcome the continuation of the technical talks and the meeting yesterday of the Specialised Committee on the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland. At the meeting, the EU and UK reiterated the importance of further engagement with business groups, civil society and other stakeholders in Northern Ireland and committed to further joint engagements. Vice President Šefčovič and the Commission continue to have my full support. I hope the British Government will engage constructively so we can find pragmatic solutions.

Deputy Brendan Smith raised the issue of pragmatic solutions given the international crisis we are now experiencing owing to the appalling war in Ukraine. The focus has to remain on addressing genuine problems that have been raised. Reaching an agreed approach to the protocol is an important factor in allowing us all to turn the page and open up a new chapter in a forward-looking constructive EU–UK relationship and partnership. Flexibility and pragmatism, to which Deputy Smith referred, are key.

It is emerging that the protocol is presenting significant opportunities for business and employment in Northern Ireland. I take what Deputy Smith said about his conversations this morning at the committee, indicating that people of all shades of opinion wanted a pragmatic solution to this. Northern Ireland is now the only place in the world that has free and full access to both the EU Single Market and the UK's market.

Invest Northern Ireland is seeing historically high levels of FDI interest in Northern Ireland. Investment announcements have been made throughout the year based on dual market access. Recent figures from the UK's Office for National Statistics show the Northern Ireland economy has outperformed and recovered from the impact of Covid-19 faster than the rest of the UK. Recent polls on attitudes to the protocol show support across communities for solution-seeking and a pragmatic approach. That gives me hope that both sides can reach a conclusion in the best interest of the people of Northern Ireland.

On the common travel area, I take the point that the humanitarian response is our priority. We will engage in ongoing discussions with the UK Government on this. The UK Government is also reflecting on its position given the scale of the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding.

On Deputy Farrell's points, the EU has been very open to facilitating dialogue in the context of the protocol discussions through the joint committee but also through working with and meeting all the parties and stakeholders.

With regard to the EU institutions themselves, there is a limit to what can actually be achieved in respect of the agreements arrived at between the EU and UK. We have advocated engagement by Northern Ireland with EU institutions and so on. However, with regard to Council meetings, it becomes far more problematic from an EU perspective. There are limits to what can be achieved in this regard.

The Government is working on a referendum on voting rights. I have referred to this in the context of what is now a debate, involving all perspectives, on the security situation in Europe. A citizens' assembly is perhaps a good forum to have the issues properly teased out and researched and in which to have an informed debate on them.

I am not fully familiar with what Deputy Paul Murphy mentioned. He said he had secured the passage in the Assembly of a 10% reduction in rents but that this has now been overturned. He said Sinn Féin buckled under the pressure of the corporate landlords, which is some assertion. That would be a surprise. On the other hand, maybe there is a sense of realism breaking through because, as we have indicated here, there are realities associated with the private rental market that cannot be ignored. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin Ministers tend to have a greater grasp of the realities and realpolitikassociated with what is and is not possible, as opposed to Sinn Féin leadership in opposition in the Republic, who very often put forward ideas their colleagues in the North simply cannot implement. It illustrates that, objectively, one has to be realistic in the proposals one puts forward.

In the Republic, landlords are leaving the market right now. Those with one or two houses are leaving it. There has been a decline in the number of landlords over the past two years. We need more. We need an increase in the number of units in the private rental market to deal with the broader housing issue. We need more social housing, affordable housing and cost rental housing. The latter has great potential but we must increase its scale massively.

I take Deputy Tóibín's point. There is a lot of research under way. The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, will shortly be publishing its comprehensive research on economic opportunities in an all-island context, including opportunities associated with the environment, climate change and biodiversity. The Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, and other bodies have undertaken research on aspects of health services, particularly primary care services, in the North and South. We have commissioned some research in respect of the educational curriculum. Interestingly, through the shared island unit, we recently allocated about €37 million for successful collaborations between third level institutions in the North and the Republic. They are to be fully funded by the shared island unit.

One of the research projects, for example, is a collaboration between Magee College and NUI Galway around maximising human and social capital in the Border area in terms of economic and social development and along the western seaboard in the north west and the west. A lot will come from those individual research projects also.