Seanad Éireann established a Special Select Committee to consider the issue of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union at the end of February 2017, recognising the potential consequences of the decision and in order to consider the implications for Ireland. The Committee was particularly asked to consider the implications under eight headings. The work of the Seanad Special Select Committee was greatly assisted by previously completed and ongoing work by several Joint Committees of the Oireachtas, which have (and are) looking in depth at the impact on the sectors and areas within their remits. This work allowed the Seanad Special
Select Committee to begin its work in sectoral areas with a great deal already done and already learnt. In particular the Reports of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Impact of the UK Referendum on Membership of the EU on the Irish Agri-Food and Fisheries Sectors
(February 2017) and the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation The Likely Economic Impact of Brexit with Particular Emphasis on Jobs and Enterprise (March 2017) were particularly useful. Other reports, currently underway, provided useful signposts.
In other areas, the Seanad Special Select Committee began considering issues in advance of Joint Committees and in those cases, it is hoped that the Joint Committees will, in turn, be able to build on the Select Committee’s work.
Joint Committees are in a position to focus on one area and look at it in great depth. In light of the extremely technical and complex nature of the likely impact of Brexit on existing rules and standards this approach has significant value. But equally important is the need to take a more integrated, horizontal view that can attempt to come ‘up to the balcony’ and see how the different moving parts are impacting upon each other and are interconnected. The Seanad Committee, in considering a very broad range of topics, in an extremely short period of time, wanted to see how the different sectors of the economy would be impacted as well as the economy as a whole. The Committee considered how the four freedoms of the European internal market would be impacted as well as specific sectoral impacts, important to Ireland. Due to the time constraints, not all issues could be covered in great detail. Instead, the focus is on practical issues that attempt to mitigate the worst impacts of the multi-faceted challenges in front of us.
The Committee held several days of meetings that consisted of engagements in public and is grateful to all those who gave of their time, who prepared and worked on their areas of expertise and were willing to share with the Committee. Stakeholder engagements were held with a number of Former Taoisigh, Former Ministers for Foreign Affairs, a Former President of the European Parliament, a Former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, representatives of Local Authorities, academic experts, representative bodies and many more. While this Report attempts to bring all of that learning together, it is not possible to cover everything so the Committee would recommend that those interested read (or watch) the Opening Statements given and the background documents provided – all of which have been made available online.
For time reasons, the Committee was not able to engage with all of the individuals and organisations it would have liked to. Many others provided written submissions. These added significantly to the evidence presented to the Committee.
The Committee was given until the end of June to make a final report to the Seanad. With such a tight timeframe it was extremely challenging to consider all of the issues within the Terms of Reference. This Report cannot be therefore considered an absolute and final opinion on all of those issues. But the Committee hopes that it does provide useful signposts to areas and issues which require early and coordinated attention in the negotiations to mitigate, as much as is possible, the likely impact on Ireland.
In accordance with the Terms of Reference, the Committee will report to Seanad Éireann not later than the 30th June. Under Standing Order 77, the Committee requests that the Report be debated by Seanad Éireann thereafter.
This Article draws on Seanad Special Select Committee Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union Brexit: Implications and Potential Solutions June 2017. Irish public sector information is reproduced pursuant to PSI Licence; Conditions of Re-Use of Public Sector Information. The Legal Materials contain Irish Public Sector Information licensed under the Irish Licence which is at http://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/per/2016/12.pdf.
