Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish everyone a happy St. Brigid's Day. I thank my female colleagues for taking on this campaign and being responsible for achieving a bank holiday that we will have from next Monday on.

I raise the issues of the legacy Bill, the Bill of Rights and the protocol Bill currently before the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. The situation we face with the legacy Bill is an especially difficult one. The Cathaoirleach was with us when we discussed these issues in Strasbourg before Christmas. I was part of a deputation that met Lord Jonathan Caine before Christmas and I also met him when he was here last September. I know from the UK Government's approach to this how intent it is on passing the legacy Bill. I think of the impact it is going to have on thousands of families throughout this country, on the Good Friday Agreement and on us trying to move on and share this island. The UK Government has taken a reckless approach such that every political and human rights organisation in this country opposes what it is doing. It goes completely against a victim-centred approach and is wrong. I appeal to the UK Government to withdraw the Bill and restart with a victim-centred approach. I ask the Irish Government to be ready to take whatever actions, legal or otherwise, are necessary to undo this legislation. I have a final point to make on the protocol Bill. The Bill will not be passed or resolved until such time as the legacy issue is dealt with in the UK Parliament, and that means months down the road. That is the sad thing.