Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator McDowell raised important questions and some of them can be answered relatively straightforwardly. It is a bilateral agreement between Britain and the European Union. However, we are fully part of the implementation committees, the joint committee and the special committee, on the protocol. Added to that, there is ongoing, significant contact, not only between Ireland and the European Union at all levels, including the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, the Taoiseach and the President and vice-President of the Commission, but also between Dublin and London. That is absolutely ongoing. We have a formal role, as every member state does, and member states will often take our particular line on Northern Ireland issues.

Regarding the Senator's second question, I have said publicly that whoever did this did not fully appreciate the political situation in Northern Ireland. There are no two ways about that because they would not have done it had they known. There are discussions on an ongoing basis to make sure that, not only do we put the hands up and say it cannot happen again, but that it actually cannot happen again. The Government is involved at all levels in discussions in relation to that.

Regarding President Ursula von der Leyen's statement that she accepts full responsibility, that is an important political declaration. On whether we insist on knowing who exactly made the decision, I do not know the answer to that. There certainly have been suggestions made, many of them publicly. Ultimately, in the first instance the Commission is accountable to the Parliament and I have absolutely no doubt that the Parliament will be demanding, and is entitled to demand, an explication of what exactly happened. Many of our parliamentarians are already making those particular points.

We have ongoing engagements at the General Affairs Council. We will have discussions and these are questions and points I will be more than happy to put to the General Affairs Council, which will be in two weeks' time. Our ambassador has been extremely forthright at meetings with his counterparts as have the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Coveney. The message has got across loudly and clearly and the most important thing is that it does not happen again.