Mammoth legislation to prepare Ireland for a no-deal Brexit has passed all stages in the Seanad.
The Brexit Omnibus Bill was one of the largest and most wide-ranging pieces to ever go before the Oireachtas.
It is designed to maintain the status quo as much as possible if Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal.
It will now go to President Michael D Higgins to be signed into law.
Tánaiste Simon Coveney said: "These are challenging times - together we're working to protect Ireland".
“No Deal” #Brexit Omnibus Bill has just been passed. Thank u to politicians from all parties & none & fantastic officials from all Govt departments for their cooperation and work. These are challenging times - together we’re working to protect #Ireland. pic.twitter.com/BXOpT9GfiP
— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) March 13, 2019
Minister for European Affairs Helen McEntee thanked "politicians from all parties" and all Government departments for their cooperation.
The #Brexit Omnibus Bill has just passed all stages in the Seanad. It will now go to the President to be signed into law. Once again, I want to thank politicians from all parties & none & officials from all Govt departments for the cooperation and work in the passage of this bill pic.twitter.com/Em7ca5c9jI
— Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) March 13, 2019
The bill has 15 parts covering nine Government departments.
It aims to ensure the status quo for Irish and UK citizens when it comes to accessing healthcare, social welfare payments and employee protections.
The bill also contains provisions to make sure buses and trains can still travel into Northern Ireland without needing to be stopped.
It aims to ease the impact on businesses by making sure tax reliefs and allowances will continue as normal.
Measures are also included to allow Irish students in the UK to access SUSI grants.
The bill would also give Enterprise Ireland extra powers to support businesses.
Areas such as taxation and insurance are also covered.
During debate on the bill, Mr Coveney said a disorderly Brexit would be a "lose, lose, lose" situation for the UK, the EU and Ireland.
