Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to hear the views of Members of the House about this particular proposal. I am aware that the Government is particularly anxious to get the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017 through the House. It is a priority as far as it is concerned, and it is very important to the Government that it be passed in the Seanad before the summer recess. The other proposals regarding the Order of Business are quite acceptable but I would like to hear the views of the other Members of the House on this particular matter.

I accept the establishment of a committee of the Seanad relating to Brexit. It is important and significant. The last committee prepared a report. I would like to see more emphasis on the implementation of that report, or at least its promotion, before we go into another report and have another deadline at the end of December, because the countdown to March 2019 is on. That is the month in which the United Kingdom proposes to leave the European Union. The period between now and then is crucial. After that time there will be no more contesting of the European elections. That is a fact. I do not see any prospect of a reversal of the decision via another referendum, despite what we might hope for. From my experience, as a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and as a representative of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union, COSAC, for the meeting next week in Vienna, I do not believe there will be any change in the situation in the United Kingdom in the near future from either the Conservatives or the Labour Party. The priority must be that all the resources of the State are used to ensure that we get the best deal possible for this island. We are an island off an island off the coast of Europe. I respect the value of a seat on the United Nations Security Council, which is important. We had one before and I do not believe it created a great reaction or contributed much to the economy. I believe the resources of the State should be focused solely on Brexit, and that all contributions and ideas should be considered.

I gave a lecture last Tuesday at the National College of Ireland. It is a college that is working on solutions to problems. It is very advanced in the area of cloud computing and it is now investigating what would need to happen to ensure a seamless border which would not have to be controlled. I accept that the Border between Northern Ireland and the Republic must remain as it is now, without any barriers whatsoever. I also understand the concerns of the Democratic Unionist Party, which does not want to see a border down the Irish Sea. Negotiations are continuing. We look forward to the outcome of the negotiations of the British Government at Chequers tomorrow. I hope that it will take a united approach. At the end of the day, our interests are primary and vital but I also believe that a good deal for the United Kingdom should be a good deal for the Republic of Ireland.

It is important that the proposed committee is established and that it meets as soon as possible. We should remember that work is going on elsewhere as well - I am the Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs - and I hope that committee will be up and running as quickly as possible.