Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá fáilte roimh an Aire don phlé seo. Mar atá ráite cheana, tá an Bille seo thar a bheith tábhachtach. I thank the Minister for outlining the key aspects of the Bill for us. Like other colleagues have said, Sinn Féin has also rightly committed to working with a cross-party approach on this Bill.

It is vitally important to ensure that Irish interests across our entire island are protected throughout the Brexit process and we must continue to work in unity of purpose to protect the people, North and South, to protect the Good Friday Agreement and to protect the Irish protocols. This approach has been supported by our EU partners, as other colleagues have said, and the Irish interests have been put at the heart of the EU's stance on Brexit. A lot of that is down to the Minister's work so we are grateful for that. It has also been heartening to hear figures such as US President-elect Joe Biden show his support and commitment to protecting the Good Friday Agreement. This has taken a great deal of meitheal and support, domestically across the entirety of Ireland, throughout the EU and throughout the world. Many hands have been involved in ensuring Irish interests were put to and have remained at the fore.

As the Minister will know, Boris Johnson has consistently been obstructive to the negotiations. He has deliberately sought to undermine the Good Friday Agreement at times and was even willing to break international law. Thankfully, the Internal Market Bill was rejected in the British House of Lords but still we see that we must be ever alert. We cannot be sure but we hope a deal will be done. It seems the two obstacles to a deal are fisheries and the level playing field and these are still the major stumbling blocks that need to be overcome Time is running out and the game of brinkmanship being played by the Tories ignores the high stakes for everybody involved, not least for the British themselves. As always, Ireland will pay a high price for the foolishness of the British Conservatives in the event of a no-deal scenario.

This Bill helps us to prepare the relevant sections of the economy for Brexit, within the parameters laid out in the withdrawal agreement. Sinn Féin will be submitting an amendment on one issue, which is in respect of VAT returns for tourists. While this issue was debated in the Dáil, I hope the Minister will reconsider his position on it and my colleagues and I will speak to that on later Stages.

As the Minister knows, I have campaigned for our people in the North to be able to access the European health insurance card and I welcome the progress and commitments made on this, as outlined by the Minister today and on other occasions. We must endeavour, however, to create mechanisms that will protect the rights of the people in the Six Counties throughout this process. As we know, there are approximately 30,000 cross-border workers who live on one side of the Border and work on the other side. It will be crucial to work with the British Government to establish a frontier workers' scheme to protect the livelihoods of those who cross the Border every day, mostly without even noticing or paying attention to it, until such time as their phones alert them to changes in the mobile service.

If the Minister has ever believed in a united Ireland and that it was the best way forward, he must see that it makes sense now. Covid-19 and Brexit are a double whammy for the people of this island. Both issues have brought to the fore the failures of partition. All-Ireland approaches make sense. Despite all good intentions to have an all-Ireland approach to Covid-19, sadly it is clear that the differences in the two systems made and make this difficult. As I have said many times, Ireland works better when we work together and when we work as one. It is time for all-inclusive planning and working towards the reunification of our island. I feel passionately about the injustices of Brexit and partition. I rapped doors, spoke at press conferences and gave out leaflets in shopping centres and on the street. Alongside many others, I campaigned against Brexit and to remain. Ultimately, I also cast a vote to remain. It is always important to remember at every juncture along this journey that has been forced upon us that there is no consent to Brexit in Ireland and that at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement is the principle of consent.

This legislation shows that we can prepare for fundamental changes to things that people thought were always to be set in stone. It shows us that we can manage changes in dynamics and relationships. I appreciate the Minister's individual work and leadership on the Brexit issue and like other colleagues, I welcome the cross-party support and approach to this important legislation. It is a crucial time for us and for our country. I do not need to remind the Minister or my colleagues of that. It is also a time of great concern, nervousness and trepidation for a lot of people across our economy and society, right down into our communities. We have done well in the circumstances and we have done the best that we can, given the absolute recklessness, foolhardiness and dangerous nature of the Brexit agenda being forced upon us. I welcome the legislation. As I have said, we will work constructively with the Minister, his officials and other groups in this House to ensure that it comes to pass. In so doing, we then have to ensure that this legislation is effectively enabled and delivered to ensure that people are protected and that Ireland is protected.