The Government has published proposals aimed at limiting the effects of a no-deal Brexit this morning.
The "landmark" Brexit omnibus bill is aimed at trying to limit the damage done if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal next month.
Tánaiste Simon Coveney described it as a "root and branch trawl of our laws" to figure out what changes are needed to deal with a worst-case scenario Brexit.
He said the bill's aimed at maintaining what currently works - but insisted a disorderly Brexit would still be a "lose, lose, lose" situation for the UK, the EU and Ireland.
The bill has 15 parts covering nine Government departments, and is one of the most wide-ranging pieces of legislation seen in the Oireachtas in the past few years.
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 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.
European Arrest Warrants will not apply to the UK after Brexit, so laws need to be tweaked to allow extradition both ways.
The bill would also give Enterprise Ireland extra powers to support businesses.
Areas such as taxation and insurance are also covered.
'Special law'
Speaking about the bill, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar explained: “Our focus remains on the UK ratifying the Withdrawal Agreement, which was concluded following intensive negotiations between the UK and the EU.
"We are doing all we can to avoid a no deal scenario, but we need to be ready in case it does happen.
"This special law enables us to mitigate against some of the worst effects of no deal by protecting citizens’ rights, security, and facilitating extra supports for vulnerable businesses and employers.”
The mammoth piece of legislation will dominate time in the Dáil and Seanad over the coming weeks.
The Government has insisted it will work closely with "all members of the Oireachtas" to make sure it gets through the two houses in a "timely fashion".
Ministers are planning for it be signed into law for March 29th if the UK looks set to crash out of the bloc without a deal on that date.
While the Government hopes many of the measures will never actually be needed, they need to prepare for all scenarios - including a no-deal Brexit.
