Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy started by saying that my response was full of banal generalities and that it was unclear what the Irish position is. Let me deal with that. I do not think it is a banal generality to say that the place of the UK in the European Union is of real national importance for Ireland, and is a strategic priority for the Government.

I said to the Deputy that we also discussed our specific concerns about the impact of a change in the nature of the EU-UK relationship on economic and trade links between Ireland and Britain, and on stability in Northern Ireland. I do not regard that as a banal generality. I said to him that without necessarily agreeing on all points, Ireland will be as helpful in the negotiations as we can be. That is not a banal generality.

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