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Health Minister Stephen Donnelly Leah Farrell/Rollingnews.ie

Pharmacists to be allowed dispense some medicines, including the pill, without GP prescription

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will bring the proposal before Cabinet this morning to help alleviate pressure on GPs.

HEALTH MINISTER STEPHEN Donnelly will this morning present Cabinet with draft legislation that would see pharmacists allowed to prescribe some medications, in a move that will help alleviate pressure on GPs.

Donnelly will today seek Cabinet approval to publish a general scheme and draft of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.

The legislation comes as part of plans by the Minister to expand the role of pharmacists in Ireland and to make it easier for patients to access services.

The move has been supported by pharmacists for a long time, who have argued that they have the qualifications and expertise to play a more active role in dispensing medicine. 

Under the new law, pharmacists will be able to supply the contraceptive pill without prescription as part of the continued roll-out of the free contraceptive scheme. 

An expert taskforce has been established by Donnelly to support the expansion of pharmacy care which will look at “minor ailment schemes” and independent prescribing. 

If enacted, on top of giving pharmacists the power to dispense some medicines without a GP prescription, including the contraceptive pill, the Bill aims to address the management of medicine shortages, which has become a major issue. 

It would allow the Minister for Health to put in place medicines substitution protocols where a shortage of a medicinal product exists. 

Recently, there have been reports of shortages of a large number of medicines in Ireland, including the weight loss drug Saxenda and the drug Ozempic which is often prescribed for patients with diabetes. 

Earlier this month, it was reported that around 350 medicines were out of stock or in short supply in Ireland, according to the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), up from 250 at the start of the year. 

The proposed new legislation also would see the law amended to support vaccination programmes by allowing the administration of vaccines by a wider range of suitable qualified professionals.

It would also herald changes for potential medical card holders who wish to use the Rent-a-Room scheme in their homes, with a disregard for Rent-a-Room income of up to €14,000 a year from medical card assessment.

This comes as part of plans by the Government to remove any potential barriers to participation in the Rent-A-Room scheme.

Commission for older people

Elsewhere, it is understood that Donnelly and the Minister for Older People, Mary Butler will seek Cabinet approval this morning for an independent commission to examine health and social care services and supports for older persons.

It’s expected that the Commission will examine the services provided for older persons by the HSE, NGOs and other entities like home care and day service provider.

It will be asked to make recommendations to Government on the strategic development of health and social care services and supports for older persons.

It will also examine residential care settings and models of supported living.

The Commission is due to be established before the end of this year and is expected to complete its work in phases.

Planning and Development Bill

Also at Cabinet, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien will bring the updated Planning and Development Bill before ministers this morning also.

If passed, the Bill will introduce statutory timelines for planning applications (ranging from 18 weeks for appeals to 48 weeks for more complex issues) in what will be one of the biggest legislative overhauls in the history of the Oireachtas.

First published earlier this year, the Bill will introduce wide ranging reform of the planning system and intends to speed up the planning process and in turn help speed up the delivery of housing.

Some of these reforms include how judicial reviews are brought, with the Bill changing how residents associations can take cases against planning decisions, as well as introducing an extension on the time local development plans are in effect.

The Bill will also introduce a significant overhaul of An Bord Pleanála, which will be reorganised into An Coimisiún Pleanála.

The restructure comes in the wake of the controversy in the planning body last year, which resulted in Chairperson Dave Walsh opting to retire early in November.

This reorganisation will see the introduction of Planning Commissioners and a Governing Executive, as well as the separation of both decision-making and the corporate roles.

On the decision-making side, there will be 14 Planning Commissioners alongside a Chief Planning Commissioner. These roles will replace the existing chairperson and board member roles.

The Governing Executive will be responsible for the governance of An Coimisiún Pleanála, with a Chief Executive and seven non-executive members.

As a result of the Planning and Development Bill, the Government is understood to want to make judicial reviews of planning decisions a “waste of time”.

Judicial reviews are cases taken by citizens or groups to the High Court. In recent years, such cases have been used to challenge decisions made by An Bord Pleanála on large-scale property developments around the country.

Under the Planning and Development Bill, resident associations will be required to have a named individual or group of individuals commence a judicial review going forward, rather than bringing it forward as a broader residents’ association.

There will also be timelines set out for the entire judicial review process, from pleading cases to the delivery of a judgement.

However, some have been critical of the Bill with former Chief Justice, Frank Clarke claiming last week that it could lead to lengthy legal delays as cases are referred to European courts. 

As reported by The Business Post, Clarke warned that if the Government proceeds with proposed reforms, it would be “counterproductive”.

He said: “If the theory is to make quick decisions to allow proper development go ahead, creating a system where there will be references to the Court of Justice of the European Union and the inevitable delay before there’s clarity about the law seems to be counterproductive to the purpose it is intended.”

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69 Comments
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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Mar 5th 2021, 11:36 AM

    Unfortunately the UK need to pay a penalty for breaking an agreement. I have no idea what that penalty should be. The EU is between the rock and that hard place, but needs to do something.

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    Mute Padraic O Sullivan
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    Mar 5th 2021, 11:47 AM

    @Paul Furey: well the EU cant use the Enigma machine as Turing cracked that during WWII.
    They will have to come up with a more secure communication system to support an invasion.

    37
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    Mute Ima Bored
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    Mar 5th 2021, 11:56 AM

    @Paul Furey: and when the EU activated article 16 , what penalty should they recieve

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    Mute john s
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:02 PM

    @Ima Bored: they reversed that knee jerk decision in a matter of hours . Have the UK changed their mind no. Dup are pushing ahead

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    Mute Daimhín De Naois
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:06 PM

    @Ima Bored: when did they activate it? They threatened to, but, didnt. Same as UK did two weeks prior to that occassion. How is there so much mis-information out there by people when its been literally all over the news? Fascinating and kinda frightening that people havent got a clue what theyre on about when they can easily check for themselves. Alternate reality kinda stuff

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    Mute Ima Bored
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:12 PM

    @john s: That may be true, but the fact that an unelected commision can do that worries me

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:14 PM

    @Ima Bored: so many get so much wrong here. A couple of EU lawyers under pressure trying to ensure no vaccination conniving would happen up north. Ursula corrected her error and apologised within hours. Nothing was activated. So stop it with your twisted news. At least only 5 sheep liked your post and that’s a good sign.

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    Mute Gerry Ryan
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:15 PM

    @Paul Furey: fianacial services passport to EU trade, in the pocket, that’ll learn em

    19
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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:27 PM

    @Gerry Ryan: looks like EU legal action is imminent. I wonder are the brits actually moving towards cancelling the brexit trade deal? I’m getting the popcorn.

    23
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    Mute Mad Worldman
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:43 PM

    @Ima Bored: they didn’t do it though. It was a reaction to vaccines produced in the EU going to the UK where they already have plenty.
    And the commission is elected. Stop swallowing the propaganda in the British press.

    54
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    Mute Niall O
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    Mar 5th 2021, 1:24 PM

    @Paul Furey: Keep a cool head, don’t say too much publicly, don’t upset the status quo…and head to court.

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    Mute Niall O
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    Mar 5th 2021, 1:27 PM

    @Ima Bored: You mean European Parliament, don’t you, which is, in fact, elected. The Commission are just civil servants.

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    Mute Rudy de Groot
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    Mar 5th 2021, 3:15 PM

    @Ima Bored: they are not unelected. They are voted in by the European Parliament. Last time I looked, the European Parliament is elected by the voters in the respective EU Memberstates.

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    Mute Ima Bored
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    Mar 5th 2021, 7:36 PM

    @Mad Worldman:

    How is the European Commission elected?
    The Commissioners are proposed by the Council of the European Union, on the basis of suggestions made by the national governments, and then appointed by the European Council after the approval of the European Parliament.

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    Mute Mad Worldman
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    Mar 5th 2021, 8:58 PM

    @Ima Bored: you’ve answered your own question there

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    Mute A Well Known Comical Stereotype
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    Mar 5th 2021, 9:40 PM

    @Padraic O Sullivan: You stuck in the 1940′s? This is 2021. The EU is 27 countries.

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    Mute Nigel Barlow
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    Mar 6th 2021, 3:09 AM

    @Paul Furey: baaaaa

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    Mute SPQH
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    Mar 5th 2021, 11:45 AM

    As we all know UK has a long history of not honoring territorial agreements all around the world, it was almost laughable was it not so serious, when the UK was insisting last December the agreements should be based on trust. The EU rightly insisted on a rules based approach.

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    Mute Marc Power
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    Mar 5th 2021, 11:56 AM

    The UK never even thought about Ireland… either part… in the run up to their referendum. The problems associated with their Brexit should have been addressed before the referendum and leaving there EU. These problems have all been caused by the UK side and now in typical Johnson style he’s trying to make the EU responsible for the UK’s irresponsibility. The UK and by default the unionists are the problem here… not Ireland or the EU

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:18 PM

    @Marc Power: and they never thought about their emigrants living elsewhere in the EU and never thought that so many businesses want to keep a presence within the EU. The voted on emotions….zero facts

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    Mute Marc Power
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:19 PM

    @Paul Furey: they voted on ignorance and arrogance

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:29 PM

    @Marc Power: that to :) and delusion based on tainted nostalgia

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    Mute Dara Mac Fhionnain
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    Mar 5th 2021, 11:42 AM

    GB trying to delay the enivitable. Use the grace period to set up the customs infrastructure and just get on with it. This is what GB voted for.

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:16 PM

    @Dara Mac Fhionnain: actually they had no idea what brexit entailed. They only now realise what it means.

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    Mute Mad Worldman
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:02 PM

    It’s obvious now that Brexit was a bad idea. Only a small number of very rich people are going to benefit.
    The majority of people in Northern Ireland voted against it but because of the claptrap pedalled by the British tabloids now have to live with the reality of it.
    Some democracy.

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    Mute Jack Cass
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:27 PM

    @Mad Worldman: @Mad Worldman: And the majority of people in the Roscommon/ South Leitrim constituency voted against the same sex referendum. Should their democratic rights be upheld or only the democratic rights of causes you believe in?

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    Mute Mad Worldman
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    Mar 5th 2021, 1:19 PM

    @Jack Cass: that’s a false equivalence. The people of Roscommon dont have to participate in same sex marriage if they dont want to. Those in NI who knew Brexit was bad for NI now have no choice but to go along with it. Voters in Yorkshire or Cornwall have imposed restrictions on people in an area they don’t know about or give a damn about.

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    Mute Jack Cass
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    Mar 5th 2021, 2:08 PM

    @Mad Worldman: Brexit was an all UK referendum the same as the same sex marriage referendum was a Republic of Ireland referendum. The Leave side won the Brexit referendum, a victory for democracy whether you like the outcome or not. Complaints regarding voting jurisdictions are nothing more than diversions to those that refuse to accept outcomes of votes. How is your argument different than those of Donald Trump supporters in Florida? Trump won that state but lost the overall vote.

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    Mute Mad Worldman
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    Mar 5th 2021, 2:57 PM

    @Jack Cass: Brexit was a vote on international trade and politics. It is not the same as a general election or a vote on civil rights. You should try to understand this. International politics is very complicated and specialised. The Brexit vote, specifically, was a failure of democracy. The arguments for it were spurious, misinformed, vague, populist and deliberately divisive, influenced by agents outside the UK, data analysts, PR companies and dodgy algorithms. It definitely was not a “victory for democracy”, it was a victory for a small number of wealthy vested interests.

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    Mute Jack Cass
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    Mar 5th 2021, 3:21 PM

    @Mad Worldman: Are you saying that a nations vote on a General Election or a Civil Rights issue is less important than a vote on International Trade and/or Politics? Wow!!!

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    Mute Mad Worldman
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    Mar 5th 2021, 3:34 PM

    @Jack Cass: now you’re just being silly because your argument doesn’t stand up

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    Mute Hugo Bugo
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    Mar 5th 2021, 11:55 AM

    The uk were always going to play this card, if the eu negotiators didn’t forsee this then I don’t know what to say, you’ve been had

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    Mute Gerry Ryan
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:18 PM

    @Hugo Bugo: Boris pandering to the ERG, giving them a reason to puff out their chests, he’s done it before and changed his mind, several times, this is yet another, he’ll back off when it’s pointed out to him that financial services still haven’t been given the all clear to shake down EU citizens

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:20 PM

    @Hugo Bugo: they knew! The EU constantly agreed to a UK delays over the last 2 years. The EU know that the UK government cannot be trusted.

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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    Mar 5th 2021, 1:45 PM

    @Hugo Bugo:

    EU negotiated with UK in good faith, so their hands are spotlessly clean, in the eyes of the World.

    The only folk who have “been had” are the UK Electorate in that 2016 Referendum, which was won on the basis of lies and false promises from the ERG driven Tories, ably assisted by a largely unquestioning and compliant main stream media.

    Now that Brexit has been delivered, all signed off agreements need to be honoured.

    Allowing UK sail off into their Brexit sunset would be relatively easy for EU, except for NI with a leg in each camp, which should in itself be brilliant news for NI Economy, but not according to gospel of the DUP, who seeming would feel lonely for yet-to-be-defined delights of Brexit (unless it’s to do with tax), if they ever stopped rattling their sabres.

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    Mute Gerard
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:05 PM

    I’m sure China is getting ready for the next time the UK cries foul over the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

    The most egregious part, and the very reason why this is so tricky to navigate, is that the extensions the UK has “decided” on (after having asked for them), were ones the EU was likely to grant by all accounts.

    Now if the EU agrees to them, it looks like we just rolled over to the Great Trading Nation of the UK. If the EU refuses, it looks unreasonable because the extension was reasonable (which was why we were likely to agree). It was intentionally inflamatory.

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    Mute Julian Friesel
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    Mar 5th 2021, 2:00 PM

    @Gerard: which leaves EU negotiators with few options, one of them being a complete halt of trade with the UK (we can call it “temporary” too) until they implement even a hint of their commitments. I don’t favour this but I don’t like being bullied by English men either.

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    Mute Tom Mc Phillips
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    Mar 5th 2021, 1:04 PM

    A United ireland would solve all these problems including tighter covid controls (quarantines and PCR testing) on flights coming into belfast.

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Mar 5th 2021, 1:26 PM

    @Tom Mc Phillips: except for a lot of unionists. I’ve no idea how these can be won over.

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    Mute Niall O
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    Mar 5th 2021, 1:28 PM

    @Tom Mc Phillips: I think we should give talk of a United Ireland a rest for a while. Not likely in our lifetime.

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    Mute A Well Known Comical Stereotype
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    Mar 5th 2021, 9:47 PM

    @Niall O: Bozo is working hard to make it happen.

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    Mute Niall Ó Cofaigh
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    Mar 5th 2021, 11:50 AM

    The empty shelves and keeping people fed, etc. that are betrayed sometimes cannot be a consequence of the Brexit rules that are only to be applied in the future… I too have fallen into that trap forgetting that the current supply issue, if there is one, is caused by existing rules and not new rules and aaking for a deferrment past April will not address the issues caused since January.

    While some wish to tar the DUP as antagonists, and make this political, this needs to be avoided aa the underlying issue is more serious and deep rooted.

    I really believe the UK government had no idea what it was signing up to as many people do not remember pre EEC and EU days although some should have realised that the deal cut NI off just like Jersey etc.

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    Mute SPQH
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    Mar 5th 2021, 11:55 AM

    @Niall Ó Cofaigh: that’s a good point regarding “existing” third country rules.

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    Mute Niall Ó Cofaigh
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    Mar 5th 2021, 12:02 PM

    @Niall Ó Cofaigh: The problem is that the only comeback that the EU have is to stop and check the flow of goods into the EU at the NI border if the UK does not stop and check the flow of goods into NI. If this does not happen then the next step is to implement stops and checks of goods leaving Ireland for the rest of the EU. We should have joined Schengen as, withour membership, there are already controls on the movement of people between Ireland and the EU so adding Customs to existing immigration controls is an option – which I hasten to add I wouod be against but it is easy to implement. The risk to the EU is small at this time while the risk of a hard border on the island of Ireland increases despite the unproven argument that such a border breaches the Good Friday Agreement.

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    Mute Joe Thorpe
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    Mar 5th 2021, 4:21 PM

    @Niall Ó Cofaigh: Absolutely no reason Ireland couldn’t join Schengen, just withdraw from the common travel area with the UK & end all rights to live & work in each other’s jurisdictions. I doubt many in the UK would object & the days of passports at airports for intra EU travel would be over, except they wouldn’t because our airports are not up to the job they can’t funnel passengers who need passports and those that don’t to separate arrival desks which is why Irish travellers to the UK don’t need to show passports while travellers from the U.K. to Ireland do have to show passports.

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    Mute Albert Brennerman
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    Mar 5th 2021, 2:45 PM

    NI have a point if they are having issues in food supply.
    EU hasa a right to secure its trade border.

    Abandonning protocol is biased towards unionist politics. It cannot be the solution.

    The basic principle must remain towards the greatest peace for all people those who fly the union jack and people that fly the tri colour our history is shared.

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    Mute brendan o connell
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    Mar 5th 2021, 2:00 PM

    The UK just keep poking the best who is obviously sleeping.

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    Mute brendan o connell
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    Mar 5th 2021, 2:01 PM

    @brendan o connell: meant BEAR

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