Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I hope to set out this afternoon the main points on which we intend to follow up. They are the four main areas we have identified, namely, jobs and the economy, the Northern Ireland peace process, the common travel area and our place in Europe. This morning, we announced a further 500 jobs which have come to Ireland. Those people will be employed over the next couple of years, and there are more jobs to follow.

I take Deputy Martin's point about the fishing industry whose representatives I met last evening. The Deputy has seen the maps, the graphs and the figures in respect of the catch, both by volume and value, for Ireland of approximately 38%, which is significant. They are very worried that because the way the Common Fisheries Policy was drafted many years ago, which is very complicated, and the many layers contained therein, we cannot trade one section for another just like that. We regard that element as being an absolute priority along with the agrifood sector. I am sure the Deputy will agree that we should not separate those sectors.

Clearly, in a hard Brexit where Britain has left the European Union, its exclusive waters would entitle it to substantial quotas. That would put pressure on the industry here because of access in European waters. These issues must be taken in the round with the other areas of the economy. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Flanagan, has met everybody in this regard.

We have had 11 sectoral dialogues on education, agrifood, transport, tourism, children, young people, jobs, enterprise and innovation. There are three further all-island sectoral dialogues being hosted on energy, heritage, culture, rural Ireland, pensions, social welfare rights, social insurance, human rights, the Good Friday Agreement, seafood, agriculture and forestry. Clearly the industries of rural Ireland will be taken into account. I have to say those sectoral discussions have been very worthwhile because most people who have attended have real experience of the area in which they are working and their points are valid and must be taken into account. It is all building up a compendium of voices of Ireland in respect of their sectors and businesses and how we will have to deal with this. Believe me, it will not be a simple challenge. We await the triggering of Article 50 and the letter of clarification to the European Commission from the British Government.

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