Ms Mairead McGuinness:

-----an arrangement that reduces those checks and makes life easier.

There is no way that the Commission is saying to the UK that it must adhere forever to SPS standards. We respect that the UK has a different view and has now left the EU but for the sake of Northern Ireland, and at the time we are in and the tensions issues which the Senator alludes to, it would be a calming solution and perhaps would pour oil over troubled waters and get us over this particular difficulty to get to a better place because there are changes politically in Northern Ireland that we are all familiar with.

In relation to the strained relationship, Maroš Šefovi has long experience in diplomacy and if he feels strained, he is not looking it. Frankly, he is trying to do his best to get agreement with the UK side. I think he has a good relationship with Lord Frost. Maybe the commentary afterwards does not say that but the fact that they can still sit down in a room and talk, in my view, is progress. There would not be any sense in which there are any attitudes there. We have a problem to solve and we will get on with it.

Michel Barnier was on television yesterday in France repeating exactly what the Commission is saying today. On Michel Barnier's role, we all regard him hugely for what he did and he supports the Commission's view on what is happening now.

On Article 16 and the tensions, I am aware of them. We all are sensitive to this issue. We would hope that that would not happen and, indeed, there are ways where things have to be done to allow that to happen. First, let us try talk and see can we resolve these things without going there.

I do not have the details of the proposal by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Effectively, what he is saying is that we have an SPS overarching framework that the UK was part of until 1 January. Effectively, it is still complying but will diverge. We are asking that in this very short period they do a temporary deal with us on this, give us that space for them to help their businesses and citizens in Northern Ireland, and take the tension out of these checks. I would be a little concerned that all we are focusing on in the public discourse are the problems and they are, therefore, becoming bigger than reality. They are feeding into a political narrative which is saying that it is nasty Europe that is doing this rather than nasty Brexit. Once we have that understanding, I would repeat with the opportunity of this important committee, we are open to doing a temporary arrangement on SPS to facilitate reducing tensions and allowing business to move on.