Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy Dara Murphy, to the House. As a former member and Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs, he had a very close involvement with that committee, which proved a good start for his work in Europe.

He has outlined in great detail the progress that has been made with regard to the 2020 strategy. The Joint Committee on European Union Affairs has carried out research and held hearings and deliberations in this regard, which is all on record. I will not repeat what the Minister has said. There is nothing in this speech that I could disagree with. It is extremely well crafted and it is a good mid-term review, in the sense that it is now 2015 and this process runs from 2010 to 2020. It is important that the Minister of State would continue to monitor the situation.

I pay tribute to the work of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs, headed by the Chairman, Deputy Dominic Hannigan and the Vice Chairman, Deputy Seán Kyne, and with a membership including Deputies Eric Byrne, Seán Crowe, Timmy Dooley, Bernard Durkan, John Halligan and Joe O'Reilly, and Senators Colm Burke, Aideen Hayden, Catherine Noone, Kathryn Reilly and myself, although there may be some change in that membership as it has been updated recently. The members are moving forward well with their work.

Frankly, the situation is very serious at the moment. As the Minister of State knows, on 7 May the general election will take place in the United Kingdom. Mr. Cameron has pledged that, if he is returned as Prime Minister, he will hold a referendum on the future of Britain's membership of the European Union. This is extremely serious from Ireland's point of view.That is why I will not give information on what work is going on at the moment. It is in the public domain that consideration is taking place. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs is carrying out an important scoping exercise on Ireland's position in regard to a potential exit by Britain from the European Union. Members have just returned from a visit to Britain but some have remained to work with colleagues and interested parties in that regard.

I am very encouraged by the statement made by An Taoiseach on 13 January in Dublin Castle when he attended a conference called Representing the Global Island. He said:

The debate in relation to the future direction of the UK's relationship with the EU has been gathering pace. Given Ireland's particularly close relationship with the UK, I am sure that many of you will have already been approached for your perspectives on the situation. The Government's position is clear and unequivocal: we want the UK to remain in the EU. This is clearly in our national interest, and in the wider European interest.

That sentiment was repeated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when he made his speech on 14 November at the European Council meeting on European relations for Ireland, Britain and Europe. He said we were "unequivocal" in our approach to the continuation of Britain in the European Union. That is vital, because Britain is Ireland’s largest export customer and Ireland is the fifth largest customer for exports from the United Kingdom.

In the 1990s, I was Minister of State with responsibility for the Single European Act, and Dan Mulhall, who is the current Irish ambassador to Britain, was first secretary, which means we were aware of Britain’s involvement in the negotiations. The Minister of State will agree that Ireland has a very close relationship with its European colleagues, including its British European colleagues, in the Council of Ministers. The reason is that a lot of British interests are also Irish interests and vice versa. Somehow the British Conservative Party has reduced its influence or does not recognise the contribution of former Ministers such as John Redwood, with whom I worked, and others in negotiating on behalf of and in the best interests of the United Kingdom in terms of the Single European Act. Ireland has top-class negotiators in its civil service in Brussels, and their work has been second to none. However, there is a feeling in Britain that it had no involvement in the shaping of Europe, a view with which I totally disagree. I know from my personal experience of being seated around the table that when Britain put forward proposals and suggestions, Ireland supported them in the majority of cases, and vice versa. We moulded Europe in terms of the Single European Act, which has played a crucial role in the development of the European Union. Trade and freedom of movement were both part of the negotiations at that period. Therefore, the risk of a British exit from the European Union has major repercussions. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade agree, and the Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy, will probably agree, that Ireland will have to play an important role in persuading and influencing the Irish in Britain in this matter.

In the interests of the United Kingdom and Ireland, both countries are together in Europe. There are over 450 million people in Britain and there is marvellous trade. The difficulty for us is that Ireland shares a Border with Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. If Britain exited the EU it would create chaos in regard to the agreements that are in place at the moment. It would also create chaos if the free movement of people was restricted because of our close proximity to the Border. I have outlined all of the issues involved.

The Chairman of the Oireachtas joint committee, Deputy Dominic Hannigan, and his committee have agreed unanimously to take submissions from a very broad spectrum of interests, and we will publish a report in March. There is no point in locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. The committee is looking at all possible scenarios and we will report to the Government in this regard.

The election on 7 May will be influential, but there is no point in waiting only to find out that Britain has walked away from the European Union. If that happened, there would be serious repercussions for Britain. From Ireland's point of view, which is one of self-interest, the repercussions would also be very serious, and that is why the committee's scoping exercise is under way. We are taking submissions from economists and civil society in Britain. We have met these people and we are doing this work.

The Minister of State's speech was excellent, but he outlined plans for 2020. If there is a referendum in 2017 and Britain decides to exit, then this will be just a memory by 2020.

Finally, I shall outline what we feel. This matter is of national interest. It is not about any political party because we are all in this together. Every party has played a role and no party more than others. We all share a European vision. It has been made very clear that whatever action Britain takes we will stay together in Europe, and we have to. We will use all influences. I am delighted that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Taoiseach have made it clear that it is in our national interest that Britain remain in the EU. We will work with Britain in whatever negotiations take place and will do everything we can to allay its fears and concerns about the European Union or any further negotiations. When we sit around the table, Ireland will support Britain's current objectives as far as we can.

I thank the Minister of State for being here in the House. I thank him for giving recognition to this House, which he has always given, since his appointment as Minister of State. We appreciate his attendance at the meetings of the Joint Committee on European Affairs prior to Council meetings. As a former member of the committee, he has shown great respect to it, which we appreciate, and, equally, we show great respect for his position.