Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 to 6, inclusive, together.

I met Prime Minister May on 26 July in London, when we agreed to work together to build on the continuing strength and the closeness of the UK-Ireland relationship. We had a good discussion on the good progress that our two Governments have made in recent years following on from the joint statement, British-Irish Relations, the Next Decade, which was agreed in 2012. Prime Minister May affirmed the UK Government's commitment to this comprehensive programme of engagement between our two Administrations. This will allow us to continue to work together on a range of issues that are of benefit to all the people of Ireland and Britain, such as jobs, trade, tourism and energy, as part of our joint Ireland-UK work programme.

The meeting also gave us the opportunity to discuss developments in Northern Ireland. We reiterated the importance of the partnership between our two Governments in supporting the peace process and in contributing to stability and continued progress in Northern Ireland. We are both committed to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and successor agreements - St. Andrews and Fresh Start - and will continue to work in partnership for a prosperous and secure Northern Ireland.

We discussed the many issues that arise in the context of the outcome of the recent UK referendum on EU membership. While it is not the outcome that we wanted, we fully respect the democratic vote of the people of the UK and we will work with the Prime Minister and our partners in the EU and the Northern Ireland Executive to make sure we achieve the best possible outcome in forthcoming negotiations.

We agreed that we would work together to ensure that the benefits of the peace process are preserved in any new arrangements which might emerge regarding the UK's future relationship with the EU. In particular, we both recognised that Ireland is the only EU member state that shares a land border with the UK. We are in agreement that we do not wish to see any return to the borders of the past on the island of Ireland.

The meeting gave us the opportunity to have a broader discussion on the common issues of concern in the context of the referendum, such as our close trading relationship and the benefits of the common travel area. Both the Irish and the British Governments value the common travel area and will work to keep this in place to the greatest extent that is possible as part of future arrangements. There is no desire whatsoever to limit the freedom of people on both sides of the Irish Sea to live, work and travel freely across these islands. It will be a key issue for us in the context of negotiating new terms and conditions for the EU's continued relationship with the UK.

I last met with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and Scotland's First Minister at the extraordinary meeting of the British-Irish Council on 22 July, which was called specifically to discuss the Brexit issue, and hope to meet them again in the near future.

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