Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I respect, of course, the vote of the people of Northern Ireland. I respect the vote of the people of Scotland and of Wales. While I did not like the overall result, I have to deal with its consequences.

I want Deputy McDonald to understand that the all-island civic dialogue that will take place will involve a series of meetings to discuss all of the areas I have mentioned. It will allow for a full-scale, detailed consideration of Brexit in so far as it affects people in the North and in the Republic, our trade with Great Britain, etc. These matters are going to have to be decided politically. We will need to make an ask of Europe in light of the difficulties with which some companies in Ireland are going to have to contend. We will speak to Michel Barnier, the newly-appointed European Union representative in the negotiations, who will visit Ireland shortly.

The Government made it clear today that there will be continued engagement with parliamentarians throughout the island, the North-South Interparliamentary Association, the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. I invite Deputy McDonald and her party to participate in these discussions because they will lead to decisions being made and they are in our interests.

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