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Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald and T\u00e1naiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris (PA)<\/p>\nThe debate around a united Ireland should not be a question of what it would cost, but what a united Ireland could create, T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris has said.<\/p>\n
Harris was addressing the D\u00e1il during a debate on the fiscal implications of unification.<\/p>\n
He told the D\u00e1il he believes there will be a referendum on unification and when it is held \u201cone of the big issues of debate is going to be the issues around the economy\u201d.<\/p>\n
The question is not simply what a united Ireland would cost, but what a united Ireland could create<\/p>\n
Simon Harris<\/p>\n
Last month, the Fine Gael leader said his party is creating a \u201cblueprint\u201d for unification which will be announced later this year.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, he outlined his position as Minister for Finance and said: \u201cThe debate that we need to have from a fiscal point of view needs to be informed by evidence, needs to be informed by analysis on the opportunities and the challenges that constitutional change may bring.\u201d<\/p>\n
The T\u00e1naiste said that while people \u201clook for very clear and very straightforward answers in relation to fiscal costs”, it is a \u201cvery dynamic situation\u201d and that \u201crecent studies on the impacts reach widely different conclusions\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is an important debate,\u201d he said, \u201cbut sometimes reduced to a lazy debate\u201d where people look for \u201cone singular figure that answers all of these complex fiscal questions\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said while there are \u201cimportant considerations\u201d and they must be \u201chonestly assessed\u201d and “scrutinised”, they are \u201conly one part of a much larger economic picture\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is not simply what a united Ireland would cost, but what a united Ireland could create.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald and T\u00e1naiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris (PA)<\/p>\n
One of the most \u201csignificant opportunities, I believe, lies in services,” he said and added that a united Ireland could provide access to the EU single market for businesses in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Labour mobility could also \u201cbecome a powerful driver of economic growth\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a porous border where people move quite rightly across the island, but they don\u2019t do it with absolute ease, and there are a number of regulatory, taxation and employment challenges that are faced\u201d.<\/p>\n
In addition, he said if the euro was used across the island it would \u201celiminate exchange rate risk, would reduce transaction costs for businesses and for consumers, and would simplify cross-border trade and investment\u201d.<\/p>\n
Research \u201cconsistently\u201d highlights the \u201cultimate fiscal outcome will depend heavily on the terms of any reunification settlement\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese outcomes are not predetermined,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For me, the question isn’t whether or not we can afford Irish unity. It’s really a question: Can we afford partition any longer?<\/p>\n
Mary Lou McDonald<\/p>\n
\u201cThey will be shaped by the policy choices we make, the policies we pursue, and the decisions we make.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a rare cordial and cooperative moment between Opposition and Government in the D\u00e1il when Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald opened her speech by \u201csincerely\u201d thanking Mr Harris for his \u201cconstructive\u201d comments.<\/p>\n
She said she found it \u201cvery, very refreshing\u201d that he had \u201cadvocated\u201d and \u201cembraced\u201d the conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that is exactly where we need to be, and I want to commend you actually for this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is a very, very significant moment for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outlining her position, Ms McDonald said: \u201cFor me, the question isn\u2019t whether or not we can afford Irish unity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really a question: Can we afford partition any longer?\u201d<\/p>\n
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