I was relieved to read the letter from the British ambassador in The Irish Times this morning restating his government's commitment to the Good Friday Agreement, and to hear the comments by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that the British Government had no intention of introducing border checks in this country. However, this runs counter to the clear statement in the Nationality and Borders Bill in Westminster. Amendments that would provide for an electronic system for travel authorisation, ESTA, style agreement for non-Irish citizens seeking to cross the Border were rejected by the House of Commons. This is something that impacts on every facet of life, not just in the Border region but across the country. What efforts are being made by the Government to continue to impress on the British Government its absolute commitments? The fact is that if we are going back to the days of being promised technological solutions, the British Government needs to go back and read the Good Friday Agreement properly.

I thank the Deputy for raising such an important matter for our island. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has commented on the announcement Deputy Richmond has raised. The Government and all Deputies in this House will continue to be very clear about the sanctity of the Good Friday Agreement and the need for it to be protected in all aspects. The Government and the European Union have been very clear about what will not happen on the Border and what will not happen for those who are moving to and from Northern Ireland. We are all united on that point.