Seanad debates

Wednesday, 8 March 2023

Good Friday Agreement and Windsor Framework: Motion

 

10:30 am

Photo of Lisa ChambersLisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is welcome to the House. I thank Sinn Féin for tabling the motion and giving us an opportunity to discuss the Windsor Framework and the Good Friday Agreement. Like other Members, I am conscious that it will be the 25th anniversary of the agreement next month. That will be a key milestone to have achieved but it is not without its challenges, particularly in the context of the years since Brexit happened in 2016. It has been a long road, one that we will still be on for many years to come.

It is welcome to see what has been produced the Windsor Framework. Many of the provisions contained in that agreement and paper are provisions that back in 2016 and 2017 we said could not be done but they are now being done or offered. There has been considerable compromise on both sides to this debate and negotiation in terms of the UK and the EU. At different times, both sides have found flexibilities in their rigid ideas of what is or is not possible.

The proposal for a green lane and a red lane so that goods coming into Northern Ireland from Great Britain that are going to stay in Northern Ireland do not need to be checked is welcome. That is a sensible proposal and the technology is available to do it. Goods that could end up on the Single Market will go into a red lane. That is a practical solution to a genuine issue that was causing concern for many stakeholders and communities in Northern Ireland, as well as hauliers and businesspeople.

As regards the European Court of Justice, ECJ, that was one of the matters the DUP consistently flagged as a big issue. The ECJ will still be the final court or arbiter of European law, as it ought to be. The suggestion or request for the situation to be otherwise was not reasonable. It was requested knowing that it could never be acceded to. It was never raised as a key issue for citizens or businesses in Northern Ireland in polling that was carried out or conversations we had with stakeholders in Northern Ireland, and that needs to be acknowledged.

There has been considerable progress in respect of medicines coming into Northern Ireland and foods being available on supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland just as they are in the rest of Great Britain.

I hope that all communities in the North, and the DUP in particular, will acknowledge that the concerns that have been consistently raised in the past year or so have been listened to and every effort made to try to address them in a genuine, practical and achievable way, while also acknowledging that, from the perspective of the EU, there were issues to be considered in terms of protecting the Single Market and the customs union. Those concerns on the EU side are understandable.

It would be great for the institutions in Northern Ireland to get back up and running and for people to get to work representing their constituents and constituencies. I hope that happens in advance of April.We have to acknowledge that, as Senator Martin said, things have shifted in Northern Ireland. The demographics have changed, as have people's views. Politics is more fractured there as well and there are smaller parties advocating different views. It is important that politicians in Northern Ireland fulfil the democratic mandate gifted to them and get back into Stormont and the assembly and working for the people of Northern Ireland. We have made some progress. I sincerely hope that the framework is agreed to and that we can move forward to the next stage of these negotiations because it is not all done and dusted and this is something we will continually revisit. One of the things that has always been flagged as a concern from the perspective of the European Union is that, if there is further divergence from EU rules in respect of goods and services in Northern Ireland at any point in the years to come, we will be back here again discussing how that is to be managed.

I will finish on a positive note. If this does bed in and Northern Ireland gets to have access to both Great Britain and the EU, it will be a fantastic and highly positive opportunity for Northern Ireland to be an exciting economic zone. The opportunities know no bounds. It is my hope and aspiration for Northern Ireland that it will reap the benefits of having access to both markets for years to come. I know that is the economic argument and I appreciate that there are matters of heart and emotion involved in the change that have taken place but the economic opportunities for Northern Ireland have been well articulated over the years. If this opportunity is grasped, Northern Ireland can do very well. I commend all those involved in getting the agreement to where it is, particularly those behind the scenes including the civil servants, technocrats and those working in the embassies who carried out all the work that went into getting this agreement on the table. They deserve credit as well.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.