Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for that overview of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol. The British Prime Minister has spoken about "getting the barnacles off" the Northern Ireland protocol and "sandpapering" it into shape, whatever that means. The UK Government has unilaterally extended the six-month grace period, resulting in the EU taking legal action. Checks on goods coming into Northern Ireland across the Irish Sea ceased for a time. Are there many outstanding issues to be resolved with the protocol? Is the Minister confident these operational difficulties can be resolved by way of pragmatic solutions? Would it be fair to say businesses in Northern Ireland are slowly coming to terms with the protocol and how it is operating and with figuring out just what is involved in it?

I refer to the recent disturbances in Northern Ireland, as mentioned by the Minister. Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol are cited as one of the reasons for these disturbances, although we know the situation is more complex than that. The DUP has a five-point plan to do away with the Northern Ireland protocol. I am conscious of developments in the DUP this evening so I do not want to say anything to interfere with that. It would appear the DUP not attending meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council is part of its plan. Is it the Minister's understanding that it is boycotting meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council? That would be a disappointment, given those meetings are so important for the shared island initiative. Are there any plans for a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference? Following on from that, would the Minister agree that all parties and both Governments must renew their commitment to the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement and make it work so that the hard-won peace we have can be maintained?

I refer to the protocol again and to the unique opportunities for Northern Ireland presented by same in terms of new investment and jobs. The Central Statistics Office has published trade statistics for Ireland for the first two months of this year. These statistics indicate that trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland showed a dramatic improvement and this was in Northern Ireland's favour. What can the Irish Government do to highlight the benefits of the Northern Ireland protocol to Northern Ireland as part of our foreign policy objectives?