Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Indeed not. However, the longer the current impasse goes on the more the public realise how irresponsible it would have been to destabilise the Government and add even further confusion to an already fraught situation. I believe the electorate, in due course, will adjudicate on the courageous decision Deputy Micheál Martin and Fianna Fáil have made in this regard.

At the same time, the Government cannot take this consensus for granted, as it seems to have done from time to time. The language of Brexit is changing dramatically. In the beginning, the difficulties in Westminster were a cause for concern. They moved on then to becoming a very serious worry as it appeared that Mrs. May was not finding any way forward and could not get agreement even within her own party. We are moving very close to the deadline now, therefore, the language in that regard has accelerated. There is a general awareness now among the public that we are at a real crisis where Brexit is concerned.

The question in today's debate is how prepared are we for Brexit. It is no longer an academic question, just as it is no longer a question of preparing for a doomsday situation which, deep down, we do not expect to happen. We are down to the wire, with an ever-shrinking number of days left to get an acceptable deal over the line. To an extent we have been a bit like the three monkeys. We closed our eyes and ears to what was happening right in front of us, but we can no longer continue to do that. We have to beef up our Brexit strategy on all fronts in the event of a no-deal scenario.

I acknowledge the hard work the Tánaiste, Deputy Coveney, the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, and their Departments have put in to this project in recent years. I would include Senator Richmond in that. Theirs has been no easy task but, as I said, they have enjoyed the support of my party through thick and thin in this entire period. I am asking the Tánaiste to come clean and tell us here in the Seanad Chamber the extent of our preparation for Brexit. When he went off script towards the end of his contribution, he gave us some indication as to the legislative framework, which is welcome and news to me, but it was rather slow in coming and obviates a number of pages of my script, which he will be glad to hear.

People no longer want to hear vague reassurances. The public want to know what is happening, and this is the time and place for the public to be told. It is very unfortunate that the action plan was announced on 19 December, just as both Houses were rising for the Christmas duration. We have not had a chance, as parliamentarians, to examine the Government's Brexit plan until now. We have been told that a raft of legislation will be needed. The Tánaiste has now indicated a date for that and that we will have omnibus legislation reaching across a wide range of Departments and so on. The sooner we get that, the better. The sooner we see the heads of the Bill, the better. The Tánaiste might advise us when concluding the level of the drafting of the Bill and whether there are any difficulties attending that about which we should be told.

My party's spokesperson on Brexit, Deputy Lisa Chambers, set out our concerns at a press conference this morning. The Tánaiste has responded today to her concerns and I hope there will be further clarification when the Taoiseach meets with Deputy Micheál Martin and the other party leaders this afternoon.

Other European countries, which will be far less affected by Brexit than Ireland, have already promulgated necessary legislation while we are still in the dark. There is also a great deal of confusion, misinformation and half information coming out, for instance, the position on the employment of additional veterinary officers. We were told initially that up to 600 veterinary officers would be required. The Minister, Deputy Creed, contradicted that at the end of last year by saying he thought the figure would be 150. Farmers are worried about that. We need clarification and certainty on what will happen concerning the movement of livestock, for instance.

Road hauliers issued a statement lately to the effect that they are totally in the dark. We know that additional lands have been purchased at the major harbours, which is welcome. I hope the Tánaiste will be able to give us further clarification on that as we move forward.

To a certain extent we have been distracted by the goings on in Westminster. What happens in Westminster is critical but to a certain extent it is a side show. It is impossible to understand the attitude of British politicians. Their bloody-mindedness has been staggering. The public in Britain were sold a bad bill of goods and the Tories have continued to compound the problem. I will never understand the political mentality of people like Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg. Their capacity for ignoring the obvious is extraordinary. In any event, we must get on with our own affairs.

The Tánaiste might advise us of the position on the supply of pharmaceuticals. He has said he does not want people stockpiling medicines. That is usually a prelude to people stockpiling. He might tell us more about that. Also, what is the programme for time-sensitive operations in terms of the transport of agricultural goods, which will not last forever?

Already, the Dutch Government has employed 1,000 additional customs officials. We have hired only 200 yet it is far more important an issue for us.

Also, there appears to be a poor take-up in terms of businesspeople's awareness of Brexit.

I raise the situation in the North, which is worrying. I note that the Sinn Féin leader, Deputy Mary Lou McDonald, stated this morning that bringing back the Assembly would not be a silver bullet in terms of Brexit. She used the same expression in terms of Sinn Féin people taking their seats in Westminster. I know I am going over time-----