Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach can come back and explain exactly. Do we have any input into crafting this particular outline of the policy platform being discussed and proposed to be adopted by the 27 member states? Are we crafting that particular section?

I was intrigued yesterday to read in The Irish Timesunder the headline, "Government believes it can secure Brexit deal on Border" that "...the Government believes it can secure agreement that the future of the Border should be left to Dublin and London". Under a byline of Pat Leahy, the article suggests that somehow there is an agreement on a bilateral deal. That obviously is counter to everything that was said recently - that there will not be bilateral discussions on fundamental issues like that and that once the negotiations start, there will be two sides to the table - the UK side and the 27 side. Is there any substance to that report? What, in particular, led to that being written? Is there an understanding that some sort of bilateral arrangement between Dublin and London will have to be accommodated in the overarching 27 position? Has that been discussed either formally at the discussions of the 27 or bilaterally between the Taoiseach and President Tusk?

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