Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber to discuss the report and congratulate her on her new post. A huge amount of work and consultation went into the report and I am delighted to see it before the House. I commend Senator Neale Richmond for his work in chairing the committee and offer special thanks to the organisations and individuals who gave of their time and shared their expertise with us in the past month which was of huge help to us in our work. I also say "a special thank you" to the clerk and all of the committee staff involved.

The report is diverse, offering over 100 potential solutions across a huge number of fields. One of my key priorities was ensuring the focus would not solely be on economic issues. The very significant impact Brexit could have on trade and investment has been very well documented, as many researchers have outlined. It is very important that we be prepared, but trade is not the only issue. As I do not think matters such as environmental protection had received enough attention previously, I am delighted that they are included so strongly in the report.

I am very passionate and adamant about the need to avoid a hard border, which is vital. CSO data show that about 15,000 people cross the Border daily. We have to make sure this flow is not disrupted. We are talking about people’s lives, their relationships, businesses and everything else that depends on moving from the North to the South and vice versaeasily. We need to look at securing special status for Northern Ireland and making the need to avoid a hard border a key part of the negotiations.

It goes without saying that in all of this we have to make sure the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement will always be respected. The Agreement has been the bedrock of peace, stability and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, of which any final Brexit deal needs to be mindful.

On cross-Border co-operation, many community groups came forward to express significant concerns that after Brexit, regulations and protections on either side of the Border might end up out of sync. We cannot allow this to happen. It is vital that we maintain common standards and approaches across the entire island in key areas such as environmental protection, health care, education and human rights. This is particularly clear when it comes to the environment. It seems very possible that post-Brexit the United Kingdom may no longer be bound by key EU environmental directives. This has caused a great degree of uncertainty. By their nature, environmental issues transcend borders. There is a big overlap in dealing with issues such as biodiversity, waterways and air quality. We need a co-ordinated and consistent approach across the entire island which should be treated as a single bio-geographic unit in realising rivers cross borders. The British Prime Minister, Mrs. Theresa May, has said the United Kingdom will remain a “leading actor” on climate change. We have to make sure this means that there will be no slip in standards.

Similarly, an “all-island” approach must be taken to human rights protection. If the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights or the European Convention on Human Rights, we will have to ensure they are not replaced with a Bill of Rights that is watered down and less far-reaching. We cannot row back on people’s rights. Human rights protections must be equivalent on both sides of the Border, as outlined in the Good Friday Agreement which we need to maintain.

There are also significant concerns about the rights of EU citizens living in the United Kingdom, as well as of UK citizens living throughout the European Union. We have to be humane and empathetic to the people concerned and their families during the negotiations. We cannot play with people’s lives and use them as bargaining chips. I urge both sides to the negotiations to remember this and make reciprocal rights a priority.

On education, it was clear during the hearings that so many opportunities, particularly for young people, were being jeopardised by Brexit. The committee heard that students from Northern Ireland might be excluded from programmes such as Erasmus or could end up having to pay tuition fees of up to €20,000 to attend Irish universities. They may no longer be eligible for key maintenance grants from SUSI which offer vital support in assisting lower income families into higher education. These changes could affect people’s lives and opportunities hugely. As such, we need to oppose them. Similarly, we should try to maintain strong cross-Border collaboration between Ireland and the United Kingdom in the area of scientific research. To date, researchers in Ireland have won EU funding of €386 million as part of Horizon 2020, but this funding may suddenly be jeopardised post-Brexit. This is a perfect example of the projects that might be threatened by a hard Brexit. The reality is that EU funding has been vital for many community services and initiatives in the North of Ireland. We cannot let these projects just fall away once the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. This is particularly clear in the area of mental health services, an issue very close to my heart, as it is to the Minister of State's. As it stands, the EU-funded PEACE programme has provided over €2.2 billion for cross-Border projects in the areas of education, young people, shared spaces and relationship building. It has played a hugely important role in addressing the trauma and legacy mental health issues associated with the conflict. Unless they are properly addressed, they can be long-standing and do untold damage to families and communities.

I want to highlight some specific figures which really bring home the reality of what Brexit might mean for so many. As part of the PEACE III programme 6,999 people received trauma counselling; 190,000 attended events to address sectarianism, racism and conflict resolution; 45,000 attended events aimed at directly assisting victims and survivors; 25,000 attended over 2,000 conflict resolution workshops; while almost 3,000 participated in initiatives aimed at addressing physical and non-physical barriers to deal properly with the past. Cuts in public expenditure will impact on existing high levels of debt, the rate of unemployment, poor mental health outcomes and suicide rates. It is essential that the work done in supporting and empowering victims and survivors of the conflict continue as individuals begin to address unresolved trauma.Despite the formal end of the conflict in the North, a substantial proportion of the adult population continues to suffer the adverse mental health effects of chronic trauma exposure. It is likely that the legacy of poor mental health associated with the conflict will endure for many years if not adequately addressed.

We simply cannot have a situation where those cross-Border, community-building initiatives fall away because EU funding is withdrawn. We have to ensure that these projects are maintained.