Ireland will resist restoration of a Border between North and South despite State agencies making contingency plans for such a possibility, said Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Mr Kenny told the second All-Island Civic Dialogue in Dublin Castle that Ireland might still need assistance from the EU following Brexit as the most severe impact would be "felt on this island".
“Ireland will oppose a hard border,” he said. “This country will remain open to investment to trade to talented people who come here to work and to do business and to do trade.”
The Taoiseach and Minister for Finance Michael Noonan have been asked by Sinn Féin to clarify the disclosure that the Revenue Commissioners and the Customs Services are preparing contingency plans following Brexit, including the location of Border posts.
However Mr Noonan told reporters before attending the forum that such preparation work would be expected from those agencies, who need to prepare for every eventuality. “They are only doing their job,” he said.
Mr Kenny told the forum the next phase of the Government’s plan would be its economic response to the UK departure from the EU.
“We will implement 20 specific actions to respond to Brexit set out in the Action Plan for Jobs 2017,” he said.
The forum was attended by several hundred people, including leading representatives of most political parties, North and South. But the Democratic Unionist Party has refused to participate in the dialogue.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin set out a case for Northern Ireland to be designated a special economic area.
“We believe that Northern Ireland is a unique case and it should have a special status. If the UK government will not propose this, then it is our job to propose ways forward,” said Mr Martin.
He was joined at the forum by the party’s newest recruit, Brexit spokesman Stephen Donnelly and by Louth TD Declan Breathnach. “Given just the fact that Northern Ireland will contain the largest concentration of EU citizens outside of the EU, it is different,” said Mr Martin.
“In relation to core rights and protections, the concerns about the impact of hard Brexit on the Good Friday arrangements are deep and well founded.
“There is no basis for us agreeing any change to the role of the European Convention on Human Rights,” he said.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams criticised as a “grave mistake” the Government’s refusal to back his party’s proposal that the North be afforded a special designated status within the EU.
Labour leader Brendan Howlin said it now looked inevitable that some customs control system would have to be put in place and that would have an impact on the State’s capacity to generate jobs.
Referring to the election in the North he said there was no voice standing up for it, which was a huge problem.
