Charlie McConalogue says it appears as if the Government has finally woken up to the seriousness of the challenge facing Ireland, and in particular the Border area, as a result of Britain’s decision to leave the EU.
He made the claim following the decision by the Taoiseach to assign special responsibility for Brexit to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney.
Deputy McConalogue commented, “Since the British referendum last year, which resulted in the UK deciding to leave the EU, Fianna Fail has argued for the Irish Government to recognise the serious challenges which will impact our country, and we have continually called on the Taoiseach to appoint a Minister for Brexit. My party was proactive on the issue and appointed my colleague Deputy Stephen Donnelly as our Brexit Spokesperson earlier this year.”
The Inishowen TD said he welcomes the fact that the new Taoiseach, despite previous assertions, has now moved the previous Government position on this by giving the Department of Foreign Affairs a special focus on Brexit.
“This is a step in the right direction but still does not go far enough- a specific Minister on Brexit is still needed in order to co-ordinate the Departments’ and the country’s response.
“As a representative from a Border area, the challenges that we face from Brexit are immense. The fallout from this move, will impact all communities and sectors including agriculture, tourism and local businesses. There is a very real fear on the ground that we could see a hard border.
“The Government needs to recognise the enormity of the fallout from Brexit and work to ensure that we are fully prepared to deal with the consequences of the UK decision.
“I will work alongside Deputy Donnelly to ensure that this happens for our county and country”.
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