Ms Elisha McCallion:

I welcome the Tánaiste and thank him for his contribution so far. I am sure I do not need to outline to the Tánaiste his Government's responsibilities with regard to its obligations under the Good Friday Agreement. He will be very well aware of all the responsibilities of which the Irish - as co-guarantors of the agreement - bear the brunt. Every person in this room is working towards mitigating against any form of Brexit, be it hard or soft, or whatever it is called these days. It is very important that we remind ourselves that no one in this room brought that about. We did not ask for Brexit. The people of the North voted against Brexit. Every day that passes takes us a day closer to a crash-out or no-deal Brexit. I am aware that it has been talked about quite a bit already in today's conversation, but I genuinely believe that it is irresponsible for the Irish Government to not consider opening up that conversation around the constitutional issue. What I heard today from the Tánaiste about the constitutional question is disappointing. While he said it is his only agenda as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement to protect the institutions and the North-South Ministerial Council, I put it to the Tánaiste that it is his Government's obligation to uphold the entirety of the Good Friday Agreement, which in itself allows for the issue of consent. While I appreciate the Government's position around trying to manage against the Brexit debacle that none of us has asked for, but which we find ourselves in, there is an option on the table that is not being considered from the Irish Government's point of view. It is irresponsible and I find it baffling that legislation will be published tomorrow that none of us has seen. I certainly have not seen it and I assume from the conversation today that nowhere in that legislation is there an option for consideration of a Border poll. We are asking for the introduction of a conversation. Nobody is asking for a Border poll to happen tomorrow. Going back to what Deputy O'Dowd said, it has been outlined already in relation to the potential of a roadmap. The Tánaiste said there is no rush to a roadmap to this, but with respect it is now 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement. It should be the Irish Government's priority to have these conversations. We all accept that unionism is vitally important to the conversation. We need to ensure we bring unionists into the conversation, but whether we accept it or not citizens are beyond the Government in this regard because it is happening organically at kitchen tables and in workplaces. People are talking about this. I put it to the Tánaiste that the Irish Government should be planning and preparing for unity and it should be opening up that conversation in a space that is safe, secure and responsible. I find it baffling that at this stage we are still not even considering it as an option in the event of a Brexit that none of us has asked for.