Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join Senator McGreehan in seconding the motion. I am delighted to see the Minister present. We all agree he is very strong on this and represents us well. I am very confident in him, the Taoiseach and others. With the respect we have in Europe, we will win this battle.

In a very short space of time, the UK will be outside the EU Single Market and the customs union. Regardless of the outcome of the future relationship negotiations, the provisions of the withdrawal agreement and the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland will apply. This protects the peace process and avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland while preserving the integrity of the EU customs union and Single Market and Ireland's place therein. Under the protocol, the Union customs codes and the other provisions necessary to preserve the integrity of the Single Market will continue to apply to and in Northern Ireland. This ensures that Northern Ireland also will have free and open access to the EU Single Market. The United Kingdom Internal Market Bill, which gives British Ministers the power to override parts of the withdrawal agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol that was agreed to avoid having a hard border across the island of Ireland last year, is a complete breach of the withdrawal agreement and international law. It must be withdrawn in its current form. That is what this motion calls for today. We will have a unified approach to this across this Chamber. Everything we are doing here is to help the Government and Ireland. This is an appalling set of circumstances for Ireland to be caught in.

Senators Chambers and McGreehan both spoke about what a breach would do to all of this country, particularly places like the west, where I live, the north west and the area along the Border, where agriculture and tourism are so important. We had made so much progress in recent years.

Mr. Michael Gove stated today that Irish trucks would get through the port in Dover but that there could be a two-day delay. We depend on agribusiness and export so much. What will happen to produce if there is such a delay? It is intolerable. What Britain is proposing must not happen. It simply must not happen.

The Minister and the other members of the Government have my full support. We are in this battle together and I am confident we will win it.