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

The British White Paper on Brexit that was published last week contains no clear blueprint for EU-UK relations and includes a range of contradictory objectives. However, there is more detail in it than in anything published by our Government thus far in respect of Ireland-UK relations. In an article published yesterday on RTE's website concerning the status of Ireland in the Brexit negotiations, Tony Connelly, drawing on his impressive range of contacts in Brussels, presents a picture that should cause alarms to go off. He says there is widespread acceptance of Ireland's difficult position but also growing annoyance at our failure to make concrete proposals. One source, he states, said: "Ireland has to start proposing solutions." That is exactly what we have been saying in this House in recent months. We appreciate there is a lot of activity going on, particularly at the level of officials, but we have no evidence whatsoever that the Government has developed specific proposals for dealing with the many diverse issues arising, with the only exception, perhaps, being in regard to the common travel area. Does the Government intend to publish a White Paper setting out a coherent set of objectives for the Brexit negotiations?

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