Danny Healy-Rae demands government clarity on 32-county plan
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about proposals for a 32-county Ireland, urging the government to explain what it means by not opposing the idea and asking how any change would be initiated. He pressed for clarity on referendums, ballot administration, cross-border services and immigration impacts.
He thanked Sinn Féin for opening the debate and said Ireland "consists of 32 counties, not 26". He asked the government to be transparent about its view and timetable, and whether people in the north would be consulted or require a referendum before any change.
He raised practical questions about how a process would be carried out - who would manage ballot boxes, whether the UK government would facilitate voting, and the need for coordination between the Irish government, the UK government and the Starmont Assembly.
He described long-standing cross-border ties, noting people from the north buy cattle and access healthcare in Kingsbridge Hospital. He recounted work he, Deputy Collins and Deputy Healy Ray have done to bring patients north for cataract, hip and knee operations, praised the hospital's seven-day service and gave the example of a nine-year-old boy who avoided blindness.
He acknowledged concerns raised by Deputy McGrath about immigration flows from the UK into the north and moving south, and the resulting pressures on housing and social welfare. He welcomed the new Minister for Justice's early actions and said the government must provide answers because constituents will demand clarity in the coming days.
Opening remarks and main position
He thanked Sinn Féin for opening the debate and said Ireland "consists of 32 counties, not 26". He asked the government to be transparent about its view and timetable, and whether people in the north would be consulted or require a referendum before any change.
Questions about administration and ballots
He raised practical questions about how a process would be carried out - who would manage ballot boxes, whether the UK government would facilitate voting, and the need for coordination between the Irish government, the UK government and the Starmont Assembly.
Cross-border healthcare and local examples
He described long-standing cross-border ties, noting people from the north buy cattle and access healthcare in Kingsbridge Hospital. He recounted work he, Deputy Collins and Deputy Healy Ray have done to bring patients north for cataract, hip and knee operations, praised the hospital's seven-day service and gave the example of a nine-year-old boy who avoided blindness.
Immigration, justice and calls for transparency
He acknowledged concerns raised by Deputy McGrath about immigration flows from the UK into the north and moving south, and the resulting pressures on housing and social welfare. He welcomed the new Minister for Justice's early actions and said the government must provide answers because constituents will demand clarity in the coming days.
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Transcript
First of all, I want to thank for Sinn Féin for opening up this debate here tonight and giving us the opportunity to talk on this very important matter because, yes, Ireland consists of 32 counties, not 26, and first of all, I suppose we need to know more from the government as to what they mean when they're not opposing this. I think the government needs to be more transparent as to what they believe or what they're thinking of and I suppose how this will be done or when will it be, we'll say, initiated and when will we make a start? Will there have to be a referendum? And like our own people, we'll have to be consulted. Do the people in the north, will they have to be consulted? Will they get a chance to decide whether they want to vote on an Irish president here just for the 26 counties? That might be an issue for them as well as for all people down here. There's a lot of things around immigration and Deputy McGrath mentioned it there, there seem to be a lot of immigrants coming that way from UK to the north of Ireland and slipping down here and we've created a lot of issues for housing and for social welfare and bulking the thing up. And I suppose we have a new Minister for Justice now that seems to be gaining control and trying to manage that and we see that he's already made a good start and we're depending on Minister McGrath to keep going. Certainly, my dealings with the people of the north of Ireland, whether it is in Marks, around Kerry, Caharsavine or Castle Island or indeed Kinmear, they're very honourable people that come down here and they buy cattle and they pay for our cattle and our sheep. And then on the other side, for the last eight years, I suppose, we've been taking people up to the north of Ireland, myself and Deputy Collins and then Deputy Healy Ray, we've taken a lot of people up to Kingsbridge Hospital for to get their cataracts removed and to get their hips replaced and to get their knees replaced. And we're still doing it and they provide a great service up there and it's immediate, it's when people need it before they lose their sight because if they had to remain here in the south of Ireland, depending on getting through the waiting list, many of them would go blind before their cataracts would be removed. And that's a sad reflection, but what we see happening up there, Minister, is the hospitals work all around the clock. They work to seven days and they provide the service Saturday and Sunday, the very same as if to the Monday. And we appreciate that because it helps people here in the south of Ireland to, you know, to be with their elderly people going up to get their cataracts removed. And indeed, I was glad and had to be able to help a young, fun little boy that was in Killarney. He was only nine years of age and he had to get his cataracts removed. And he was about to go blind. And it was all in Kingsbridge Hospital, I could get this done and very glad and proud to do that. And there are so many things to be considered and how will it be carried out? I mean, who will be in charge of the ballot boxes up there? Will the UK government and the powers that be up there, will they facilitate this happening? We have to consider that. And there's a lot of issues surrounding this. And while it's a very laudable idea and like there's no denying, but the people of the north of Ireland of those six countries, they fought for to be free and to be under Irish control as good as any of those that came before us and fought here in the south of Ireland. They were instrumental and did their part on every occasion. So we can't deny them if that's what they want, but we need to hear from their side that that's what they want, and from there there's a democratic system up there in the six countries as well, as there is here, and I think it will need more direction and more involvement with our two governments, the Irish government and the UK government and the Starmont Assembly. They need to get together and to see how this will, you know, go forward. And it would be nice to see that happening and it's a good idea, but we need to get some idea how long it is going to take and we need to get more transparency for our people down here because I have no doubt they'll be asking us a lot of questions in the coming days and we need to have some kind of an answer from us and we're depending on the government to give us that answer. Thank you. And now we have the government.