Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome to the House. I commend him and the Department on the work they have done on this issue. I also commend Senator Chambers on the work she has done on Brexit. It has been phenomenal. Her dedication has been brilliant.

I welcome this opportunity to contribute to the discussion on the protocol. No doubt about it, the starting point must remain Brexit. No one should ever forget the North was removed from the European Union against its will. The people do not want Brexit. It was imposed upon them. Their collective voice was clear. Evidence suggests that most understand why the protocol is required and agree it is needed. A legally guaranteed special arrangement was always required. Common membership of the EU was an underpinning assumption of the peace process. We are now in uncharted territory as a result of Brexit and, may I also say, the increasingly reckless actions of the British Government, which is playing games with the future of people of this island once again. The protocol is there to protect the Good Friday Agreement, to ensure no hard border emerges on this island and to support ongoing North-South co-operation. The protocol is about mitigating the damage of Brexit and the preservation of the precious peace on this island. It must be defended and upheld. The British Government must implement what it has agreed in good faith. It is heartening to see how many in the international community agree with this.The protocol offers well-recognised opportunities for the North. These should be promoted and developed. I almost feel as if I am copying the Minister in saying this. Businesses and communities know this and they want to make good use of these opportunities. I believe the protocol offers protection for the many Northern Ireland businesses trading primarily across the island of Ireland and-or with the EU, as the status quoposition is largely retained into the future with the absence of border checks, customs declarations or tariffs. While there have undoubtedly been problems and challenges, particularly for the Northern Ireland businesses that trade primarily with Great Britain and some Northern Ireland consumers, we have also seen many businesses building new opportunities. It has been brilliant. There are potential investors interested in coming to Northern Ireland to benefit from the unique dual access to the UK and EU markets if located in Northern Ireland, but they are waiting for the protocol to bed down and for the remaining problems to be resolved.

The protocol also contains an important human rights and equality guarantee. I believe this has been neglected. Civil society organisations know its value, as do the human rights and equality commissions on this island. They correctly want to make use of these protections. We must hear more about this valuable aspect of the protocol. We still do not hear enough about the many opportunities the protocol delivers for the North.

Let us be clear, and let us send a strong message. Problems that have arisen are the direct result of decisions made by the British Government and choices that are made in London. The British Government continues to put narrow Brexiteer ideology above the interests of all the people of the North. It selected the dangerous path and it must face the consequences of its actions. This must be called out and we must name it for what it is. The British Government does not care. Its approach remains the primary cause of our current difficulties. The attempt to destabilise the North for its own strategic interests undermines the agreement. It has abandoned even the pretence of adherence to its obligations.

The Minister will not be surprised to hear me say that we must also remember that there is another way forward on this island. The people of the North have a way back to the EU through the Good Friday Agreement. I proudly chair the civil society organisation, Ireland's Future. We are determined to promote a responsible and focused conversation about constitutional change on this island. The people of the island want to have that conversation. The North has a guaranteed automatic EU re-entry option. To ignore it is unwise and ill-advised.