Surge in British people wanting Irish passports put down to Brexit

THE IRISH AMBASSADOR to the United Kingdom has said that the number of Irish passports issued in Britain is set to double this year, compared to the last full year before the Brexit vote.

The study urges both Dublin and London not to repeat the fallout from Britain's European Union referendum by failing to prepare for the possibility it will lead to Irish reunification.

Reunification could provide an economic boost of €35.6 billion over eight years, the document said, but it was unable to quantify what it would cost taxpayers.

"And it's clear from the 17 recommendations by the committee that a lot of work needs to be done in advance of a referendum".

Senator Mark Daly served as rapporteur for the study, and he said that we need to look at and learn from the lessons of Brexit.

"What you do is you lay out the future in great detail, you talk about the issues of great concern to all communities".

The independence movement in Scotland and growing uncertainty over the post-Brexit border between Northern Ireland and the Republic could combine to end centuries of political union between the nations of the UK.

The government must now open up dialogue on the island, according to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. "I think a referendum will be held in the next decade".

The committee's report attacks the British government for failing to prepare properly for the European Union referendum result, and urges them not to repeat the mistake in the event of a poll on reuniting Ireland.

Mr McGinn, who hails from the town of Newry in Northern Ireland, said yesterday's report showed that the case for a referendum was gathering pace.

An additional 32 staff were hired to cope with the rise in applications for Irish passports during 2016, while a number of temporary clerical officers were also engaged during especially busy periods.

It is thought to be the first report by an Irish Government, department or parliamentary committee into achieving Irish unity for more than 30 years.