Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his presentation. We should all welcome the clarity provided by the British Prime Minister on Brexit. We might need to be patient for a little longer. Does the Minister of State think this is the British Prime Minister's opening position and that she does not mean to be as hard as she might sound? I think there is agreement between Britain and Ireland in opposition to a hard Border. Given that we had so many long-standing agreements covering free movement, trade and so on prior to the EEC, not to mind the EU, this is something when the negotiations start in March of next year, about which the EU should show tolerance.

How will our net contribution to the EU change post-Brexit? It is obvious that the UK had no plan and the best it can hope for at the moment is to start negotiations with all sorts of other countries. Perhaps it thought it could have - as was put by a colleague earlier - side-bar negotiations prior to the formal invoking of Article 50.

We are part of the EU and the Minister of State might confirm that we will be fully engaged and fully apprised on the EU side on the negotiations that will take place. Today I met a German delegation of parliamentarians from Bavaria visiting the House. They seem to be very concerned, as we are. They see their own position and, so to speak, dominance in Europe diminishing as a result of this move. I could not get into it in great detail with them. I took a note, but I cannot read my own writing at this stage. They think there are too many factors and it is too early for a co-ordinated response at a European level. I mention that because someone else here mentioned it already.

We might need to continue with much uncertainty and volatility. We know what we want with regard to the Single Market or as near as possible to that. We need Britain to be flexible and they also need to compromise a bit. That will take a bit of time with regard to the North and the common travel area.

I very much welcome the all-island civic dialogue on Brexit, which the Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade have initiated, and which is to take place in Dublin on 2 November, involving representatives of civic society, trade unions, business groups and non-governmental organisations, as well as representatives from all political parties on the island of Ireland. I also welcome the appointment by the EU of Michel Barnier as its chief Brexit negotiator. I understand he will be in Dublin shortly. I ask the Minister of State to comment on that.