Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is the methodology they are considering in regard to how one might arrive at what the charge would be in respect of participation in the European Union and contracted payments going forward when Britain decides to leave. I have seen the comments from the British Government in respect of the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights. They are issues that have not been decided but comments have been made on them by members of the British Government.

What is going to happen? As the Deputy is aware, the divorce proceedings will be under way for two years and that means a determination of what might be due and the question of the issues the Deputy raised. That will be followed by the question of what is done with European Union citizens who live in Britain and British citizens who live in Europe. For example, there are over 1 million British people living in Spain and a serious number of people of EU nationalities living in Britain.

As the Deputy knows, under the Good Friday Agreement everybody in Northern Ireland is entitled to Irish citizenship and, therefore, European citizenship. The question is on how we deal with this when we do not envisage a return to a hard border, which is the clear political understanding. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle will know this very well given where he lives and the county he represents. We do not want a return to the sectarianism or violence we had in those years. That will require creativity and a bit of imagination to deal with it.

See this speech in context