A Fianna Fáil TD wants a dedicated minister of state in place to start looking at issues around a united Ireland.
The discussion around an Irish unity referendum has been reignited this week.
It comes after senior politicians from across the political divide debated the issue on an RTÉ TV debate earlier this week.
While parties such as Sinn Féin have long campaigned for a vote, non-partisan groups such as Ireland's Future also believe now's the time to start planning for a future unity referendum.
Fianna Fail TD for Cork East, James O’Connor, think there's enough work to be done that a dedicated minister of state should be in place.
He told Newstalk Breakfast: “I floated the idea that perhaps Ireland should consider appointing a minister of state, for issues around the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and also around the issue of Irish reunification.
“There’s a growing dialogue now in Ireland, both North and South, in a post-Brexit world, where we’re going to treat this issue with a new-found sense of urgency.”
Deputy O'Connor believes a minister would be an important first step in the ‘enormous level of preparations’ required for any future referendum.
He explained: “We’re talking about a multitude of different academic reports that will have to be done on behalf of the Irish Government… that’s going to take a number of years of preparation.
The Fianna Fáil TD argued the minister should be assigned to the Department of the Taoiseach rather than the Department of Foreign Affairs,
He said that while the DFA has many great staff, the Taoiseach's office is the right choice for this ministry as it’ll require a huge level of cooperation across multiple people and department.
Deputy O’Connor accepts a unified Ireland is a long way off, but he said there’s a need to start the conversation now about the preparations.
He noted: “It’s going to take many, many years before we’re ever going to be in a position to present a feasible case for a united Ireland… we’ll have to look at areas of our economy, culture, historical differences, our education systems and health.
"The differences between us and the North in some of those areas are vast."
