Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I put it to the Taoiseach that there is a process in place for co-ordinating activity relating to our response but I question if it is large enough or has enough resources. This is one of the biggest ever diplomatic and administrative challenges we have faced as a country and it needs senior people working full-time on it. I am particularly concerned about the need for us to have a whole-of-government approach. I suggest there needs to be a series of a temporary secondments from other Departments to the unit in the Taoiseach's Department responsible for co-ordinating and managing the Government's response to Brexit.

After yesterday, it is clear something must happen in terms of the decision by the Northern Ireland First Minister, Ms Arlene Foster, who will not support the sort of inclusive and open North-South action we need. That process was wrongly and badly handled, as I stated already, but the key point is we cannot let that be the end of the matter. We need an all-island Brexit-specific session of each North-South body before the start of September. Will the Taoiseach put that in place?

The Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin together colluded in getting rid of the civil dialogue as part of the Good Friday Agreement. They never wanted it to get off the ground. Now people are screaming for it to get together-----

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