Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, the civic forum, from the political point of view, should be a listening exercise. It is not about grandstanding by political parties across the entire island. That is why, in an all-island sense, people will have their opportunities to come along and say their piece. However, it is not just a one-day event. There will be a follow-through with sectoral areas both North and South so that we get that true voice to which Deputy Martin referred.

Traditional manufacturing and small and medium enterprises here are a real focus of where the Government must be. To that extent, the budget contained a number of measures in respect of Enterprise Ireland, extra staff, extra facilities and a capacity to consider where new markets can apply because that is what will have to happen here. There are programmes, as the Deputy is aware, such as the LEAN programmes, market diversification, innovation and management development and so on, and there are so many very bright young people who are well able to make a break into new markets for different products and firms here. Clearly, this is a major priority for Government, our citizens, our economy, our jobs and our links with Northern Ireland, the UK and beyond to Europe.

Deputy Martin is quite right that while the challenges ahead are unknown, at least if we knew at this stage what Britain's ask will be, we could focus on that. It seems as if the Prime Minister has made it clear that the UK does not seek any kind of Norwegian system or a Swiss system, but a bespoke British requirement. In the update she gave to the other leaders at the European Council meeting, she said she would like to see the exit process be professional and well managed and said that would be of benefit to both Europe and to Britain. Obviously, there will be discussions and negotiation about that. I will arrange for a briefing for Deputies Martin and Adams and anybody else by the senior officials here, who will give the Deputies the details of what they have been discussing with permanent secretaries across the water. They cannot get into too much detail because the Government has not made its decision. As the weeks go on, arising from the civic dialogue and the North-South Ministerial Council, we will have a wealth of information on which we can begin to focus. However, really and truly, until the Prime Minister moves and triggers Article 50, we will not be in a position to say what the definitive position is of the British Government. President Juncker, President Tusk and everybody else have made it clear that there will not be any formal negotiation until that happens. Michel Barnier will be around to everybody in the meantime. The Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy, has been meeting all his counterparts. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Flanagan, has the same requirement as all Ministers at a European level to make direct contact so that people understand in the first instance from a European perspective the importance of the peace process, the connections between Ireland and Britain and so on. I will see that Deputies Martin and Adams are briefed at the-----

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