Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I very much welcome the re-establishment of Stormont at the weekend. I congratulate the First Minister, the deputy First Minister, the other new Ministers and the MLAs as they take up their positions. They certainly have a long to-do list. However, it is our to-do list I will talk about today.

Careful examination of the language as well as the impact of the UK Government's command paper, Safeguarding the Union, is required. Newton's third law says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this instance, that is not what I would recommend because it would further entrench and reinforce binary mindsets. I understand the paper was meant to reassure unionists of the integrity of Northern Ireland and their place in the union. However, some of the language in it is both unfortunate and unnecessary. I fear that if the narrative laid out in the command paper is allowed to stick, it could do damage to North-South trade and our shared economy. This is a time for us to stand for the totality of relationships across these islands, the benefits envisaged by the Good Friday Agreement and the opportunities that now await the North if they are grasped.

The Government should take a proactive role in engaging with Stormont and Westminster to protect and promote the benefits of North-South and east-west co-operation, especially North-South trade. The figures speak for themselves. North-South trade, even though it has thrived over the past couple of years because of Brexit and new trade lines, is not a competitor to the UK internal market. The Irish market accounts for 28.6% of all Northern Ireland exports, which is approximately 60% of the importance of the Great Britain market. The UK internal market is by far the most important market for Northern Ireland.However, when the Irish value within the EU 27 market for Northern Ireland is included, it is a similar size to the UK market and is a very important market for the North. It is really important that we understand the importance of convergence for Northern Ireland and the ability to support trade lines across the island. If the Stormont break is used to excess, it will diminish its potential to access the EU market. It will diminish its unique competitive advantage and would be an act of economic self-harm.

I believe the Irish Government should support and encourage that competitive advantage because we recognise that preserving it is the only competition that matters on this island. Let us replace any idea that we have markets that are competing with each other on the island with collaboration.