Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We can divide it four minutes and two minutes. Ba mhaith liom freisin a bheith luaite leis na smaointe ó thaobh an fheisire Jo Cox, a clann, a muintir agus a comrádaithe faoin uafás a tharla ansin. If fate had treated me a different hand I could be voting in the referendum tomorrow, as somebody who was born to Irish parents and brought up in England. I may have also been deciding the fate of the Brexit referendum.Anyway, it is important to note that we have a vast Irish diaspora in Britain. There are different estimates but the figure is between 500,000 and 600,000. Up to 24% of the British population claim Irish ancestry. I welcome all the attempts by the Irish in Britain and those by the Government, Ministers and the Taoiseach to engage with the Irish in Britain to try to ensure a positive vote on the "Remain" side. In the case of a Brexit I hope the Government will show the same zeal, if necessary, on a Border poll on a united Ireland. It may be necessary post Brexit if Britain decides to leave the European Union. We will push the Government on that on a different day.

Many arguments have been put forward but I have no doubt that Brexit would leave the agrifood sector North and South in a difficult position with respect to access to export markets. Farmers in the North currently receive €326 million annually in support. This money is particularly important to the agricultural industry North and South. Farmers there have also secured £186.5 million in EU funding towards the new rural development programme, which would be sorely missed.

If the vote to leave was returned, it would inevitably lead to customs and immigration checkpoints being re-established on the Border. This would be a significant setback for the political process in the North. In all likelihood it would undermine the protection of human rights and workers' rights. It would also be a significant move away from building an all-Ireland economy, an all-Ireland tourism destination, an improved all-Ireland transport structure and an all-Ireland approach to agriculture and food production.

Sinn Féin is an all-Ireland party committed to Irish unity. We have no wish for only part of Ireland to be in the EU. We are the only party with MEPs elected in each of the four European constituencies in Ireland. We speak with one voice - an all-Ireland voice - and perspective within the EU. Sinn Féin is critical of many aspects of the EU, in particular, the democratic deficit at its core. However, the possibility that a part of the island of Ireland could end up outside the European Union while the other stays is not a situation that will benefit the people of this island. People who live on either side of the Border travel back and forward to work, to shop and to visit relatives, often on a daily basis. Brexit threatens that important movement.

It is also important to note that the Cameron Government plans to repeal the UK Human Rights Act. A pro-Brexit vote will encourage this proposal and puts at risk crucial human rights legislation that underpins the Good Friday Agreement.

We want to end the power of the British Government to impose its policies in any part of Ireland and we believe Brexit will increase that power. We want to end partition while Brexit has the power to entrench partition. Brexit will hamper trade and investment across Ireland. Successive British Governments have set aside all human rights norms in the North. That is why the EU Convention on Human Rights is a central tenet of the Good Friday Agreement. In the event of a Brexit the British Government could repeal the Human Rights Act and walk away from the European Convention on Human Rights.

That EU funding was available to address the decades of under-investment by successive British Governments in the North is a crucial consideration. History demonstrates that the loss of EU funding in the North will not be replaced by London. Recent estimates put the cost of a Brexit to the northern economy at €1 billion per annum and the cost to the southern economy at €3 billion per annum. In the event of a Brexit, the agricultural sector in the North stands to lose €326 million in direct agricultural support payments. These are some of the arguments we put forward. I will give way to my colleague, Senator Craughwell. Ba mhaith liom go mbeadh muintir na hÉireann sa Bhreatain ag tacú leis an bhfeachtas chun fanacht.