Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy and I differ on a number of issues in this regard. He does not believe that the Government is serious about dealing with Northern Ireland and the citizens of Northern Ireland. I disagree fundamentally with his political comment in that regard. He is the president and leader of his party and he has a specific responsibility now to see that an Executive is put in place in Northern Ireland, irrespective of his differences with the DUP, in order that we can have a functioning Executive that will, hopefully, put together a set of common objectives as to what the people of Northern Ireland regard as their priorities in respect of the Brexit negotiations.

The Deputy will be well aware the people in the Republic voted for the abolition of Articles 2 and 3 on the basis that the Good Friday Agreement means that Northern Ireland is regarded as part of the United Kingdom until the people decide otherwise. The position there is that what I want to see in the final outcome of the negotiated documents is the language of the Agreement, which allows for the opportunity at some future time for the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic to vote in a referendum to have a united Ireland and that there can be a seamless readmission of an area that is part of the United Kingdom by virtue of the Good Friday Agreement being recognised, in the same as Scotland is, as a member of the European Union without having to invoke Article 49. I hope the Deputy in his discussions with his party will see to it that, irrespective of political differences, a functioning Executive is put together as quickly as possible, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is available to help in every way in that regard because it is important.

I pointed out yesterday that Northern Ireland is different from Gibraltar. Gibraltar joined the EU as part of the UK and any change in its status is a matter for bilateral consideration between the Kingdom of Spain and the UK. It is very different from Northern Ireland where we have an internationally legally binding agreement voted on by referendum, North and South. The people of Northern Ireland voted in the expectation and the understanding that their EU membership benefits would continue and they will continue. I have said to the British Prime Minister and her predecessor that the people in Northern Ireland have a very definite point of view and that since the Brexit referendum, of course, I recognise that Northern Ireland voted to stay, as did the people in Scotland. First Minister Sturgeon is now on the path of looking for a second independence referendum.

I follow the Good Friday Agreement and our job as co-guarantor of that is to see that all the issues relevant to the Agreement are implemented in full.

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