Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will proceed with our engagement with the Cabinet Secretary, Michael Russell, who is a Member of the Scottish Parliament. On behalf of the committee, I welcome Mr. Russell to the committee and I thank him for joining us. He and I have engaged a number of times over the past four years on the Brexit issue. Brexit has been one of those once-in-a-generation issues that has taxed both of our countries. Scotland and Ireland have shared many concerns and many challenges throughout the Brexit process and he and I have discussed this at length on different occasions. On behalf of the committee, I extend a céad míle fáilte and much gratitude to him for making himself available today to make a statement to the committee and to give the Scottish perspective on Brexit as we approach the end point. We might then take questions from the committee and have a back-and-forth. We are, of course, more than happy to take questions from Mr. Russell on any issue he might want to raise with the committee. I invite him to make his opening statement.