Oireachtas committee says planning for border poll must begin 'immediately'
Fergus O'Dowd, the chairman of the joint Oireachtas committee on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins
The joint committee on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement published a report on Tuesday on the finances and economics of a united Ireland.
Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, a border poll should be called by the incumbent Northern Ireland Secretary when he or she believes there is evidence that public opinion in the region has shifted in favour of constitutional change.
Successive UK governments have consistently declined to specify publicly what criteria will be applied when measuring public sentiment on the issue but the report says that work should begin now, regardless. Part of this work should be a new social protection system, “built from the ground up”.
The committee recommends that discussions around a united Ireland include “a first principles consideration on the role of social welfare, as an opportunity to build a new welfare state from the ground up, adapted to the 21st century and built on respect for socio-economic rights”.
It also notes that a new welfare system should take greater account of the rights of carers and children.
The report makes a number of recommendations on how to deepen cross-border collaboration, including measures to facilitate teachers crossing the border or “working in both jurisdictions throughout their careers”, including supports to meet the Irish language requirement for primary school teachers.
It also suggests removing “barriers to cross-border student enrolment particularly for students from the North studying in the South” and to make it easier for people pursuing trades and apprenticeships to learn across the border.
On energy and climate action the committee recommends increased co-operation on a single electricity market for the island, while in transport it calls for the implementation of Irish Government commitments on the A5 “as soon as possible”.
In February, the Government committed €600m to the A5 north west transport corridor.
The committee also calls for co-operation between the IDA and Invest NI, part of which should be to “ensure greater benefit for areas outside of Dublin and Belfast” from foreign investment.
At the launch of the report, committee chairman Fergus O’Dowd said the committee heard “strong calls for planning to begin for a referendum on constitutional change and calls for the political system to work to build a consensus on what a new and united Ireland would look like”.
Mr O'Dowd added: “Preparation for referenda on Irish unification will be a historic task. The committee calls for preparation to begin immediately.
“Constitutional change would have profound consequences for Ireland and Northern Ireland; voters in referenda will need in-depth information on what the decision would mean for their daily lives, including answers on political institutions, healthcare, taxation, education, social welfare, and pensions.
"Providing detailed answers to these questions will require immense preparation, which will need to begin well in advance of referenda being called.
“Creation of a constitutional path towards a united Ireland remains integral to the peace process. It is vital that the possibility of a united Ireland is treated with serious consideration and careful preparation. Referenda on a united Ireland could be difficult and divisive unless the Irish Government makes serious efforts to prepare for the possibility of a united Ireland.”
