Ministers agree no-deal Brexitbill
»»Bill to protect Irish citizens in North & Britain »»Health,justice, medicine and welfare covered
Government this week. In order for extradition to continue unchallenged, the UK and Irish governments have agreed to rely on old legislation from 1957 instead. So that if there is a hard Brexit there will be a standby already there to maintain continuity with the extradition schemes. Another contentious issue that was resolved in recent weeks and approved at Cabinet last night was for visitors from agreed third countries to continue visiting here with visas.
While we were part of the EU, there were no difficulties. But the tweaking to make sure this continues in the case of hard Brexit will mean that agreements between the UK and Ireland over sharing of fingerprints and biomedical data has been agreed.
The Brexit Omnibus Bill now makes its way through the Oireachtas, with three days’ debate set aside in the Dail this week.
It then has to go back and forth between the Seanad, committees and Dail before finally making its way to Aras an Uachtarain. The timeline is so tight and managed that President Michael D Higgins is currently scheduled to sign the emergency bill into law on March 29, the day the UK is scheduled to leave the EU.
Support is widespread among the opposition parties to get the Brexit Omnibus Bill across the line on time, even if there will undoubtedly be some issues people don’t agree on.
Fianna Fail’s Brexit spokeswoman Lisa Chambers said: “We will do everything we can, in the country’s interest, to get that legislation passed.
“But we didn’t need to be in this position, we could have had the legislation sooner when we could have had more time to go through it and more time to debate it in the Dail.”
SIMON Coveney has successfully steered the mammoth Brexit Omnibus Bill through Cabinet.
It has been prepared for the doomsday no-deal scenario.
Its provisions will protect the rights of Irish citizens living in Britain or the North – and vice versa for British citizens here – in a range of areas.
For instance, it means trains and buses can travel freely between North and South, students can continue studying in any college or university and pensioners can still collect their weekly benefits no matter where they live in the UK or Ireland.
It also means there should be no shortage of medicines because of trade tariffs and the lights should not go out or the heat go off because of the flow from electricity pylons or gas
pipelines coming under threat. The Bill reached across 16 departments with everything from health, welfare, education, energy, transport, security and justice covered.
Foreign Minister Mr Coveney was tasked with fast-tracking the special legislation ahead of what is increasingly looking like a disastrous no-deal Brexit on March 29.
He is confident contingency laws can be passed through the Dail in case they are needed on that date, even though this would be what he yesterday called a “crazy scenario”.
The minister gave some examples of how is will safeguard healthcare.
Mr Coveney said: “It will cover practical things for ordinary people so that children from Belfast can come to Dublin for special paediatric care, so patients can come across the border from Donegal to go to hospital in Derry.” Taoiseach Leo Varadkar let the Dail know that it had made it through Cabinet without a hitch too. He said: “The Brexit Bill was approved by the Cabinet this morning.
“Subject to some minor drafting changes it will be published on Friday.” Security was one of the areas where special advice was needed for the
It will cover things so Belfast children can come to Dublin for treatment
SIMON COVENEY DUBLIN YESTERDAY