Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. It is a timely debate while this issue continues to move on and change all of the time. The Minister has very correctly pointed to the engagement we have recently had at the Seanad Brexit committee with Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefovi on Monday of this week. It was a very interesting debate and exchange of views between members of our committee and with the Commissioner. Commission Vice-President Šefovi was very diplomatic in his answers to us, and he very openly and honestly answered questions from committee members. There was a very clear message from the EU that it does expect to be treated with respect from the UK, and that it expects to see genuine solutions coming to the table.

It is worth reminding those who might be listening to this debate that the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland was a result of a number of years of negotiations. It was the only option left on the table when everything else had been explored. It was the only option that allowed us to ensure no hard border on the island of Ireland to maintain peace of this island, and to ensure that we could mitigate against the worst possible impact of Brexit, in full acknowledgement that the people of Northern Ireland did not vote for Brexit and that we here in Ireland did not vote for Brexit or ask for Brexit. It is a British policy and we are now dealing with the fallout from that. It was the best we could do in very difficult and challenging circumstances. It is also worth pointing out that the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland contained within the withdrawal agreement was negotiated and signed off by the British Government. The British Prime Minister said that it was a great deal and he won an election on the back of that. That seems to have been forgotten.

It is disappointing, to put it mildly, how they have approached these negotiations and how they have conducted themselves through these negotiations, and in particular Lord Frost, who I think at times has treated Maroš Šefovi and his team, and us here in Ireland, with a degree of disrespect. It is fair for us here in Ireland, and other member states, to expect that when one signs an agreement in good faith with eyes wide open, having talked about it for months and years at that point, that everybody knew what they were signing up to. To then turn around and say that somehow there was an imbalance in the negotiations and that there was not fairness at the heart of the heart of the negotiations, I do not accept that. I utterly reject this assertion put forward by some in the British Parliament, the British Government and the British media. That is not the case. They are tinkering around the edges of what is fact and what is fiction. The fact remains that everybody knew what they were signing when they signed that agreement and now they are seeking to renege on that. The constant threat of Article 16 is destabilising and it damages trust between Ireland and the UK. It damages trust between the UK and other member states. It makes it very difficult to find a resolution and a solution to the issues that are there.

It was said at the Brexit committee on Monday, and I reiterate it in this House, our appreciation and gratitude to Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefovi for the work he has undertaken, and particularly in the past months in his engagements in Northern Ireland. He has gone above and beyond with his team to engage with business owners, the public and politicians right across the island on this issue. It is fair to say that he has a deep and genuine understanding of the issues on this island and how important the protocol is to ensure that peace is protected and that we protect the Good Friday Agreement. Mr. Šefovi has taken the time to really get under the covers and understand what are the issues here, including the position papers that he published and the solutions he brought to the table with his team, having consulted widely with the people in Northern Ireland and with the business community.

Mr. Šefovi said on Monday that they have removed 80% of all checks. That is the practical implications of how the protocol is working on the ground. I do not believe that it has been properly acknowledged by those negotiating on the UK side how significant those changes were with regard to the operation of the protocol, and how much the team had taken on board the concerns of the people living in Northern Ireland. Essentially, the proposals were rejected before they were published at all, which is not the way I would approach a negotiation or how I would conduct my business working with anybody. We got past that and they were published, but they were still not taken with the degree of seriousness one would expect the UK to have taken. There are constant threats of triggering Article 16, knowing that this is supposed to be a safeguard. It is not supposed to be used as a stick to beat with which to beat the other side. It is a safeguard if there are genuine economic, societal and environmental disruptions that are likely to persist. That is the wording of the protocol and that is what it is there for. Equally, they tend to gloss over with their own citizens that the EU would also have an opportunity to rebalance that by taking action too. We are skirting around the edges of discussing the potential for a trade war, which would be disastrous for both islands and for the European Union. Nobody wants to go there.

I take note of what the Commissioner said on Monday, and the tone that Lord Frost is striking today in Northern Ireland. There does appear to be a degree of pulling back somewhat from that cliff edge, and a bit more of a constructive approach to these negotiations in the last couple of days. That is a positive thing but there is no doubt that damage has been done by that constant threat to pull the plug and to walk away and leave the table. I would urge the British Government to think long-term about the impact that their conduct is having on their relationship with their nearest neighbour and with the European Union. We are all trying to resolve this. This does not discount or take away from the fact that they had a vote. They had their referendum and we accept and respect the result. We must all get around the table now to resolve this.

Throughout the work of our Brexit committee, time and again we have been told about the opportunities and the silver lining that is the protocol for Northern Ireland, which are the opportunities this can present for Northern Ireland. I understand that Lord Frost rejected this argument today in Northern Ireland. It does present an opportunity for Northern Ireland and it does represent the best of both worlds. Access to both markets is an opportunity if it can be seized upon. It is not just me saying this. The Economic and Social Research Institute came before our committee on two occasions to reiterate that point and to make the point very strongly that if they can give certainty to the protocol, it could be fantastic for Northern Ireland. At the end of the day, we should want to get some benefit from this disastrous number of years with regard to our relationship with UK and the Brexit process, so that we can take some positive and actually make it work for the people of Northern Ireland and for the island of Ireland.