Taoiseach ‘confident but not complacent’ hard border can be avoided

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he is “confident but not complacent” that there will not be a hard border in Ireland.

Speaking to reporters in Derry, Mr Varadkar said that Brexit created "an enormous challenge", but he was confident a hard border would be avoided.

“The reason we don’t have a hard border either between Northern Ireland and Ireland or between Britain and Ireland is because of the European Union, because of the fact that we have the same rules and regulations,” said Mr Varadkar.

“That is the crux of it. By maintaining full alignment, by continuing to have the same rules and regulations, we can avoid a hard border.

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“I don’t want a hard border between the North and South any more than I want one between the island of Ireland and Britain,” he said.

“What could give rise to a hard border is a hard Brexit, or a hard Brexit that doesn’t make special arrangements for Northern Ireland, so I can absolutely assure you that I’ve spent a lot of my time since I became Taoiseach trying to avoid both of those things, and that’s what we’re working towards.”

During his visit Mr Varadkar toured the museum of the Apprentice Boys of Derry, an institution similar to the Orange Order.

He also visited the Ráth Mór centre in the Creggan area of the city, where he spoke to groups involved with Creggan Enterprises as well as representatives from local schools and victims and survivors of the Troubles.

The Taoiseach said that the continuing lack of an Assembly in the North meant that Northern Ireland’s voice wasn’t being heard the way it should be during the Brexit negotiations.

Northern Ireland has been without an administration since it collapsed in January 2017 amid a row over a botched renewable energy scheme.

“I think people in Northern Ireland are losing out because we don’t have a functioning Executive and Assembly,” said Mr Varadkar.

He said there were important decisions to be made around healthcare and major infrastructure projects, and that North-South bodies were being prevented from operating as they should.

“Co-operation round health, infrastructure and tourism is still happening, but not at the level we would like,” said Mr Varadkar.

“In many ways the voice of Northern Ireland isn’t being heard the way it should be during the Brexit negotiations.

“As co-guarantors of the [Belfast] Agreement we want to help the parties come together to agree to get the institutions up and running again but we do appreciate that the uncertainty around Brexit hasn’t created a good environment for that,” he said.

Mr Varadkar said both he and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tánaiste Simon Coveney, would be working hard over the next few weeks to try and get an agreement over the nature of the UK’s departure from the EU.

“I think if we have some certainty about the next few years when it comes to Brexit, and of course certainty that there won’t be a hard border between north and south, I think we may then be in a good position to get those talks going again,” he said.

During his visit, the Taoiseach said he had discussed how to bring “more economic opportunity, more understanding and more development” to Derry.

“Our vision is to have Derry and Letterkenny work together and try to develop a city region that will be of benefit to both sides of the Border,” he said.

Mr Varadkar said a key part of this was the upgrade of the main A5 Derry to Dublin road.

“I’m frustrated that hasn’t started yet, I was very involved in it when I was minister for transport, and I’d love to see that up and running again.

“I also heard about the City Deal [for Derry], and I hope the UK government gets behind that as well.”