Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Taoiseach welcomes, as do I, the statement this morning by the European Commission's chief negotiator, Mr. Michel Barnier, that he would do his utmost to preserve the success of the Good Friday process. Mr. Barnier also pointed out, as we all know, that Brexit will have consequences for the EU's external borders, including that on this island. The Government must redouble its efforts to ensure that this does not happen. We would argue strongly that this can best be achieved by a diplomatic offensive to build support for designated special status for the North within the European Union. Mr. Barnier also spoke of the possibility of a transitional period as a means of avoiding what is called a hard Brexit. There is sense in that possibility and I am interested to hear the Taoiseach's view on it.

Has the Government obtained any legal advice on the implications of the potential judgment by the British Supreme Court on Prime Minister May's decision to trigger Brexit by the end of May? We have seen the welcome decision of the people of Austria to reject the far right presidential candidate as well as the decision of the people in Italy to reject the proposed reforms by Prime Minister Renzi, which has refocused speculation on the future of the euro and the EU itself.

The Minister for Finance has stated that he does not believe there will be any financial crisis here because of his view that the Irish banks are very strong. This seems to be at odds with the summer stress test carried out by the European Banking Authority on Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Ireland. Both these banks were among the worst suffering of the 51 financial institutions. Does the Taoiseach agree with the Minister or does he agree with the European Banking Authority, which stated that more work was needed to put these Irish banks on a firmer footing? I remind the Taoiseach that only last week these banks were exposed as dragging their feet on restoring tracker mortgages for thousands of people, including some who have lost their homes.

What measures will the Government introduce to protect Irish households and businesses that are at risk from further exchange rate fluctuations? Will the Taoiseach outline the Government's strategy for engaging with other EU Governments at this critical time?

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