Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the ambassador. We all appreciate very much that he and Mr. Welsh would do nothing to harm the unique and special relationship between our two countries, as the Prime Minister put it in her letter. As the UK is going to be outside the Union, it is very important, as some of my colleagues have said, that we do everything to strengthen and improve the ties between us. We can do that in different ways. The British Irish Parliamentary Assembly, BIPA, is an obvious area that can be strengthened and it can meet more often, as can CHAMP, and there are other organisations. That is important work which we must bear in mind and pay attention to. Obviously, like the UK, we want to do nothing to damage the relationship.

Like others, I appreciate very much what the Prime Minister wrote in her letter to President Tusk.

However, is there a contradiction or a little problem in that the Prime Minister has said very definitely that the UK intends to leave the customs union and the Single Market? There will have to be a little give and take in the negotiations because the Prime Minister in her letter states that the UK, like our good selves, does not want a return to a hard border, and we want to maintain the common travel area. In other words, we want Britain to have whatever would be akin to the Single Market. I do not know what one would call it, but that is what we want and what the UK wants. I hope this can be resolved in the give and take of negotiation, as Deputy Durkan said.

I think we all now realise more than previously that the UK's exit from the EU may take somewhat longer than two years. We must therefore envisage the transition period, during which, presumably, the UK will continue to be a full member of the EU and the Single Market. However, this will all have to be maintained during negotiations and into the transition for however long it takes. I would appreciate the ambassador's comments on these matters.