Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I say "Well done" to the Chairman of the committee on the report. I am only at page 31 but I am making my way through it.

There is no such thing as a good Brexit. It has forced us to make decisions we did not want to make. We have had to work to protect our island from a hard border and we are dealing with the fallout of Brexit every day. The issues relating to Brexit are not going away but what strikes me about the report is the hunger within it. I know from my experience as a member of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement that there is a significant amount of hunger among civic community groups, voluntary groups and business groups for engagement because they recognise the challenges that exist.

It is such a pity that, exactly at the time we need to be leaning in to North-South co-operation, others are leaning out. That makes me focus on parts of the Good Friday Agreement that have not been implemented. I refer to the North-South consultative forum. If that forum were in being, we would be in a much better position in terms of dealing with the resilience, communication and connections needed in order to come up with practical solutions. It would also provide an opportunity to get a sense of what is happening on the ground instead of the political narrative that is constantly pushed. Dual market access is a major opportunity for the North. It is an opportunity for people to move away from identity politics and towards prosperity politics, which is exactly what the region needs. What is the view of the Minister of State on the North-South consultative forum? I know North-South co-operation is currently very difficult, but what can we do to bring together the people who need to be brought together? I make those remarks in the context of east-west relations as well. All Senators are saying that more connections are needed.

I am proud to be Chairman of the British-Irish Parliamentary Association, BIPA, committee on sovereign affairs. We are working on a report in respect of strengthening or consolidating the British-Irish relationship. I would welcome the views of the Minister of State on the North-South consultative forum. That impacts things like tourism, Waterways Ireland and the all-island economy. The rules of origin are so important. I know a fix is seen as problematic but we have to keep this on the table because protecting an all-Ireland supply chain is fundamental to where we wish to go with the Good Friday Agreement. It is important in the context of making sure that we are able to retain mixed-origin goods in future trade agreements. The impact that can have on goods such as dairy and whiskey is significant. The Minister of State referred to mitigation measures but, fundamentally, this is something we need to push to try to find a solution.

I refer to the concerns raised in the document in respect of citizens' rights and the concern of the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for the Executive Office regarding the decision of the UK not to incorporate the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights into domestic law and the fact that the UK Government is undertaking a review of the Human Rights Act. The latter is also something that we have to keep an eye on. I say that knowing there are proposals on the table relating to legacy that, for us, completely undermine international law and the European Convention on Human Rights. We need to be very wary of potential erosion of the rights of citizens.