Mr. Máirtín Ó Muilleoir:

I have been accused of many things but not usually of being anaemic. Within diplomatic international standards, this is as hard as I get. I do not believe one can get any more hardline than saying, "I insist we remain at the heart of Europe". Even before St. Columbanus and St. Gall left Bangor monastery in 590 AD to bring Christianity to Bobbio and St. Gallen in Europe, we were Europeans. We are Europeans today and are committed to the project. There are aspects we would all like to improve. One cannot let one's head go down and say we will accept on this island that they take the North and we get into this Little England splendid isolation cul-de-sac. It would be a cul-de-sac of culture, education and international relations.

When speaking as a Minister on these matters, I do not like using the word "fight" but we are going to stand very firm behind the democratic wishes of the people of the North. If consent is a pillar of the Good Friday Agreement, it should also be a pillar of the leaving or staying in the EU. I want to bolster Senator Feighan's confidence in that regard.

The work of this committee is really appreciated. The work of former Senators Sean Barrett and Mary White was appreciated at An Chultúrlann on the Falls Road, in Derry and east Belfast. It means much to people at the Skainos Centre who did great work in resolving the flag protests by creating an oasis of discussion, calm, dialogue and reconciliation. We sometimes underestimate the positive impact of this committee. It is great that it provided a forum for this discussion.

Mark Durkan used the term "special case". I believe there is sympathy in Europe for a special case. After the Apple tax finding, there might be some bruised egos and relationships. However, the idea of the special case has always been very dear to all European Union member states. They agreed to the PEACE funding and voted repeatedly to endorse the Good Friday Agreement and other steps forward in the peace process. If anyone can make a special case to Europe about finding a process or a bespoke arrangement for the North to remain, it is us. In fact, in many ways, we have more sympathy in Europe than Scotland has, although it's people voted in more resounding numbers to stay. We have our foot in the door and we need to make that argument.

I would be happy to ask the Taoiseach to do his bit. However, I have no doubt that representatives from the North, and I speak for Pat Doherty, Francie Molloy, Mark Durkan and Alasdair McDonnell, will fight hard - it is proper to use the "F" word in this particular circumstance - to ensure that we remain, not only because that is how people voted but also because the alternative is a road to nowhere.

Mark Durkan touched on the following point. The equilibrium of the peace process, the Good Friday Agreement and the peace we have reached in the North is underpinned by the fact that both jurisdictions on the island are part of the European Union. That is one of the reasons we managed to make this historic compromise. For anyone to tear that asunder willy-nilly and view it as a victory is a mistake. There is common ground. The crucial part of this is unity within the Executive and there is no sense in pretending that the latter is going to be easy to achieve. However, we have forged some common ground in that the First Minister, Arlene Foster, and the Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, penned a joint letter to Theresa May setting out the five areas, including agrifood, on which they want her to focus. That is a start. I am confident that if we can ensure that we have a central place at the negotiating table, with Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness on one side and the Taoiseach on the other with the European member states, there will be a chance to put a really strong case forward. I am certainly not despairing. I do not really mind from where the British Government gets the money. It is spending £100 billion on Trident so I am sure it can find the money somewhere. No one should be allowed to destroy the promise of the Good Friday Agreement and peace funding and the difference it has made.