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

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. With a new Government in place in London, there is emerging a basic shape of the approach that may be taken by the United Kingdom Government to negotiations with the European Union. Mr. Davis, the new British Secretary of State responsible for Brexit, has suggested that he is fine with simply seeking a trade pact and that he may delay the triggering of Article 50 until next year. That would have significant implications for Ireland, and particularly Mr. Davis's narrow view of the negotiation parameters with Britain. It could involve the return of a customs border here, if his thinking gains any further momentum.

Mr. Davis also seemed somewhat confused as to the status of what he termed "southern Ireland", when asked about this country on Sunday. He seemed to be unaware of our constitutional status, to put it mildly. Could the Taoiseach, at the earliest opportunity, ensure that a member of Government holds an early meeting with Mr. Davis to update him on our perspectives on it?

More specifically concerning Scotland, it is clear that we need to stay closely in contact with the Scottish Government on an ongoing basis. I welcome the fact that the Government has decided to implement a suggestion I made to increase staffing in our European embassies and delegations - the Taoiseach made that clear at the leaders' meeting last week - but the Taoiseach needs to make a similar commitment to increasing the staff levels at our Edinburgh consulate, which was set up quite a number of years ago and which has played a valuable role in developing relationships between Ireland and the Scottish Government and, indeed, the Scottish Parliament.

The Taoiseach was correct in raising the matter at the European Council meeting because it is the elephant in the room in some respects as well. It is relevant in terms of what may happen down the road in Scotland, if it was ever to secede from the United Kingdom. That is something that may take some time to happen.

The Taoiseach mentioned in his reply the British-Irish Council and the broader sets of relationships. I note the key issues, apart from Mr. David Davis saying it is about trade. For us, it is obviously the retention of and, ideally and optimally, the UK's access to the Single Market to avoid tariffs between Ireland and Britain, but also the common travel area. The retention of the Single Market on the island of Ireland is critical, as is the avoidance of a hard border. I suggested an all-island dialogue on Brexit which would involve community groups, non-governmental organisations, the economic stakeholders, unions, business, etc.

Apart from the political constitutional elements, I am looking at a civil dialogue involving civil organisations. The Taoiseach is broadly committed to that. It would allow people from the civic and social side in Northern Ireland to make a contribution to such a national dialogue on the implications of Brexit and the optimal outcome for the island of Ireland that could be achieved in the context of negotiations between the Republic of Ireland, within the European Union and with the United Kingdom.

To be frank, that leaves aside the constitutional and political issues under the umbrella of the Good Friday Agreement, which should be dealt with separately. I made it clear in my remarks at the weekend that there is no evidence now there has been any shift in terms of public opinion vis-à-visa united Ireland, as per the Good Friday Agreement. All the evidence up to the Brexit referendum was to the contrary and that public opinion was not moving in the direction of a united Ireland in previous polls. It is important not to use Brexit as a kind of basis for an immediate Border poll or anything like that. I just want to make it clear that my position on that has been very consistent and understood. Much work must be done on that question.

On the Brexit issue itself, there is a very clear need for substantive dialogue, including with Scotland and others. I do not believe the full implications of this have been readily understood. As a former Minister, I went on trade missions to Scotland and we engaged with their universities. They are particularly strong on research and the application of research to business ideas and industry. It seems that many partnerships that have developed between Irish companies and companies in the UK or Northern Ireland could be in jeopardy as a result of Horizon 2020 funding being cut from partners in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. When in Brussels recently, the first person I met at the airport was a young person involved with a Northern Irish company who was very concerned about the partnership that had been developed. Where do such people now stand in terms of funding?

The Taoiseach got some criticism on the Scottish issue. We need voices on the UK side to surface as they will suddenly realise the implications of this for them if some proper negotiating platform, broader than just a trade agreement, is embarked upon. That needs to happen organically within the UK on issues like research, education, the Erasmus programme and so on, all of which could be cut off from young British people as a result of the decision to leave the European Union. There are a panoply of issues beyond trade and many people in the UK would be anxious to have some continuing engagement with them in any new agreement arising between the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Will the Taoiseach indicate if he will take practical steps on the dialogue issue, including inviting in civil and social groups? When can we expect a national conference or a plenary session of such stakeholders to take place and enable us to start the process?

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