Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to address Fianna Fáil's claims that the solution of providing two additional seats in the North is somehow legally unworkable. This claim is made despite Fianna Fáil being furnished with legal opinion to the contrary. It is only right that we give due consideration to the rights of citizens in the North. Under the Good Friday Agreement, the birthright to Irish and British citizenship in the North is enshrined. The rights of Irish citizens in this instance mean that they will be EU citizens from birth. However, they will not be able to exercise those rights.

This is explicitly provided for in paragraph 52 of the joint report from the negotiators of the European Union and the United Kingdom Government of December 2017, which states:

The people of Northern Ireland who are Irish citizens will continue to enjoy rights as EU citizens, including where they reside in Northern Ireland. Both Parties therefore agree that the Withdrawal Agreement should respect and be without prejudice to the rights, opportunities and identity that come with European Union citizenship for such people and, in the next phase of negotiations, will examine arrangements required to give effect to the ongoing exercise of, and access to, their EU rights, opportunities and benefits.

Similarly, they will probably not be furnished with the opportunity to vote from the North in a southern constituency. I should highlight that we are one of the only EU states that do not furnish voting rights for citizens outside the jurisdiction in European elections. In discussions of a proposed referendum to extend presidential voting rights, there is a general acceptance across all political parties that all Irish citizens should have the opportunity to have their say on who represents them. The current franchise does not include citizens in the North or abroad, as it should. We should think likewise in terms of our MEPs. For that reason, we fundamentally disagree with the principle of the Bill and we will be opposing it on Second Stage.