Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Commissioner for his time. It is an excellent engagement this morning and I thank him for all he is doing on behalf of our community. I have a couple of quick questions. Listening to the engagement, has the British Government brought anything positive to the table? Outside of the change in mood in the last couple of weeks, which is extremely welcome, it appears to me that the Commissioner is bringing positive, creative proposals in order to try to get a deal over the line. Is the British Government actually making any genuine efforts to bring creative solutions to our shared problems and challenge? Also, and not wishing to sound negative, has the Commission prepared for the triggering of Article 16, if that was to happen? Is there a contingency plan in place?

Is there a plan B? What are the Commissioner's thoughts on that? We would be very interested because, to be quite frank, it is very hard to take the British Government seriously, even with the positive mood changes. That is why the sceptic in me would like to think that we have a very comprehensive strategy prepared if Article 16 were to be triggered.

As the Commissioner said, this is affecting coastal communities and countries. We have seen what has happened in France. What level of engagement do he and his officials have with other European countries? Do they realise the seriousness of what is happening here? Are they as up-to-date as they should be and are they being briefed accordingly? Is there anything that they can do to assist the Commissioner in the important work he is doing