Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman for his indulgence. I know he is under time pressure. It is rather unfortunate for such an important issue to be squeezed into such a short time. I know it is a special day for Senators Lawlor and Marshall, and I can appreciate that. I will not go over any of the previous items that have been mentioned by other speakers because of the amount of time available to me. I will ask a couple of questions of the Tánaiste. He said something I suppose we have all said when speaking about Brexit, that we have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. That is the phrase the Tánaiste used. With that in mind, what is the attitude of the EU if it were to be a hard Brexit, if the negotiations were to break down or if there could be no agreement? What plans have the EU put in place for Ireland? While Mr. Barnier and everybody who speaks are 100% on the Irish side and see the disaster a hard Brexit would be, what actions or contingency plans are being prepared on the European side in case it does happen? As the Tánaiste said, we have to plan for the worst, though we all hope for the best. If that were to happen, for the sake of the Irish economy and Irish society we would need to secure exemptions from state aid rules to support sectors which will be worst hit such as the agrifood sector, which is close to my own heart and is the area where I have the most interest and knowledge.

Such exemptions are part of every accession treaty, and I think they should also be part of the UK exit treaty. Behind the scenes, is the EU planning with Ireland for a worst-case scenario, and if not, why not? We have to plan for such an outcome. I know the Tánaiste is in the midst of negotiations, and it is important in most negotiations to hold one's cards close to one's chest in order that one's position is not public knowledge. The Tánaiste and the Government need to get out the message of the potential effects of a hard Brexit and of this not working out in the fashion we might all like. When one talks to people on the street on a daily basis as I do, one sees that there is an unbelievable number of people in every walk of life, including business, education, the medical sector or any profession, who say it still will not happen. They believe the British will back down at the 11th hour. I know and the Tánaiste knows that is probably not going to happen. People out there are in denial because they cannot see a solution. They say that the British are looking at the problem in a similar fashion; they cannot see a solution, so they will roll back at the 11th hour. We need to dispel that attitude among the people.