Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I compliment Sinn Féin on introducing the motion. It will have the unanimous support of the House. It is important that this should be so. It would be a mistake to introduce it if it resulted in anything different. I also congratulate Sinn Féin on its election results last week. I recognise the achievement of the Alliance Party also. That sends its own message. Congratulations are in order in both cases.

I welcome my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Coveney. If he brings the same determination and competency to the issue of the ETA and the remaining negotiations on the protocol to set up the Executive that he brought to the Brexit question we can be confident. I know he is determined to do this. I respect the fact, and it should be acknowledged, that he is up and running and at it already today. He could not be at it any quicker because it is just after the count. It is important, and I recognise that.

It is a crazy concept that we would have the return of a virtual and electronic border. If it were to be implemented in its original form it would greatly disrupt trade, normal life, education, healthcare and social interactions such as inter-family ties. It would hugely threaten tourism. It is an absurd situation. It is contrary to the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement. It is contrary to logic and common sense. It is very important that it is vigorously opposed. It is very important that the Minister continues to do this. What everyone in the House is trying to say is that we want vigorous opposition to it to continue as the Minister tries to negotiate amendments to it. It is important to recognise the Minister has already raised it with the Secretary of State at the Intergovernmental Conference. It is also important to recognise that the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, has raised it with her counterparts and that the embassy and the diplomatic corps are working on it. This is all positive and has to continue.

An interesting statistic came up during Senator Currie's contribution. She stated surveys have suggested that 25% of potential tourists or people outside would see it as a barrier. These are people who would not come because of it. We can find it in reality. If, as the Minister stated, people come to Dublin to travel around and they see a difficulty with the North, they will go on to Donegal, down the western seaboard or elsewhere. They will not put themselves through this process and hardship. It will be a disincentive from the word go. If they do go to Northern Ireland, they will not come south. They will stay around the Giant's Causeway and the Titanic Quarter, but they will not come down south in these conditions. What is proposed has huge implications. As the Minister said, we are marketing the country as an all-island tourism entity. To put this at risk is shocking.

This is an area in respect of which we could have had, should have and, I hope, can continue to have co-operation. It is an area of obvious co-operation. This is also the case with our healthcare. The cross border health initiative is one of the great successes. People have gone to Belfast to have medical procedures. That has been a great success. It has worked very well. It is very quick and the reimbursement system works well. Perhaps it needs a few modifications to deal with people who have difficulty raising the funds.It was a huge success and unifying factor on the island, and we cannot have something that would disrupt that. Education, including cross-Border education, is important. Coming from County Cavan, it is very clear to me how absurd this is and its potential danger. One has to hope and assume that a number of derogations will be achieved, but, ultimately, we need to achieve its abolition or an effective derogation in the case of tourism. An earlier speaker cited visitors with family in Donegal who wish to study in Northern Ireland or whatever.

No matter how we look at it, it is very dangerous. I thought it was instructive to listen to our new Senator who, in one of his first contributions, which was excellent, cited the ludicrous nature of it, its potential to reignite trouble and the ludicrous nature of what was there previously. His contribution, given his previous role, was interesting. It is a good motion. We have to unite behind it. We need the Minister to stay strong, and I have no doubt that he will.