Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will ask one or two questions before I hand back to Mr. Bruton. I would like to build on what Senator Reilly has said about the opportunities presented by Brexit. Mr. Bruton mentioned the positive impact of the recent EU trade deal with South Korea, which has been beneficial to the UK and is presenting opportunities for Ireland. There is a need for Ireland to diversify its economy and create options beyond Brexit. What regions or areas present the next best opportunities? I refer not only to areas with which the EU does not currently have trade deals, but also to existing trade deals, such as the Mercosur deal, that need to be improved and brought up to speed.

Many of the questions I had intended to ask have been asked by my colleagues. I would like to ask about the scope and role of Anglo-Irish relations after Brexit has happened. Obviously, we are tied through the EU and we will negotiate as one of 27 member states. I fully agree that this Saturday's meeting will be extremely important. We are able to work with the UK outside the structures of the EU through existing bodies like the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and the British-Irish Council, even if they do not meet as often as they could. Does Mr. Bruton believe the potential exists for those two bodies to further strengthen Anglo-Irish relations and to facilitate new forms of access? I thank all Senators for their contributions and invite Mr. Bruton to respond to the questions that have been asked.