John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to follow up on a comment made by Deputy Richmond yesterday about the concept of a special Oireachtas committee on Irish unity. It is an excellent idea and one that the Government should strongly consider and implement, for a number of reasons. I am a member of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, which is a really excellent committee but its focus is very wide. It deals with a really wide variety of issues both in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland.

In contrast, a special committee on Irish unity would have a laser-like focus on Irish unity and could really home in on some of the key issues that need to be discussed. The Good Friday Agreement committee is a useful vehicle for making sure that the agreement is upheld and implemented and that is its main focus. Deputy Richmond has called for a special committee to deal specifically with the issue of Irish unity, which is a call that I support. It is a really good idea. The special committee on Brexit in the previous Seanad worked quite well. A committee like that, with a very specific focus, that can bring in a wide variety of stakeholders is very important because it is a conversation that is happening right across this island.

I do not believe a border poll at this point in time would be useful because it would not be won, to be frank, and the results in the recent Northern Ireland Assembly elections bear that out. However, there is no reason we should not be having that conversation, preparing for it and talking about the likely pros and cons of a united Ireland. It would be useful to tease out what those cons could be and to offer reassurance to people in both the nationalist and unionist communities that this is a good thing to do and that we are all working together. This is a level of responsibility that the Government should be taking on.

Deputy Richmond said yesterday that "Brexit has shown us what happens when you ask a question with no clear outline of what the answer looks like". The important thing about the proposed committee is that it would provide very clear answers. It will enable us to avoid a situation where a border poll is held, the result goes one way or the other and then we spend six or seven years trying to cobble together a response. It would give us a clear outline of what a united Ireland could look like and what the benefits might be. It is something the Government should strongly consider. I totally support Deputy Richmond's call for such a committee and believe the Government should consider establishing it this year.