David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This was a very interesting debate and I have listened to most of it. There were some very positive and worthwhile contributions. On the morning after 23 June last year most of us woke to get the news that Brexit was going to happen, as the British people had voted. Many people were in a state of shock and had not expected it to happen. The polls had been totally opposed to that. On 29 March this year Article 50 was triggered. This was another milestone. Nothing could happen until that had happened because there was always a slim chance that maybe the decision might be reversed or the Parliament might go against it.

There is another milestone facing us with the 18 June elections in the UK, and the German elections after that in the summer. The real negotiations cannot start until those milestones are gone through. That is not to say we are not getting ready and preparing. Over the past ten months - since June last year - the Government, led by the Taoiseach, has travelled the length and breadth of Europe for consultations on Brexit. Our engagements have not been limited to meetings with direct government counterparts; our outreach effort has also encompassed meetings with parliamentarians, journalists, business leaders and representative groups. I have also raised Brexit with my opposite numbers at every practical opportunity. Setting out Ireland's key priorities and concerns has been at the heart of this exercise. Let there be no mistake about that.

There are two contextual factors that have become evident in this process. First, with the exception of the UK, the level of political and public debate in Ireland about Brexit is completely without parallel anywhere else in the Europe. Colleagues on all sides have recognised the potential impact it will have in Ireland. Second, in the face of the challenges that Brexit poses to Ireland, the level of public support for Ireland's membership of the European Union is exceptionally high at 88% across the country, and 94% in Munster I am happy to say. The fact that Ireland's position is grounded in such a high level of stakeholder and public engagement has commanded tremendous respect from our partners. This has undoubtedly contributed to the Government's success in ensuring that our concerns are reflected in the EU's negotiation position. This comprehensive document, published last week, reflects the intensive and multi-faceted approach the Government is taking to the Brexit process. Its publication was timed to coincide with a key milestone; the adoption of the European Council's negotiating position. I believe that this was the right moment to draw together the outcomes of the Government's domestic and international engagement to date, as well as the analysis and co-ordination that has been carried out across all Departments and many of our agencies. Its primary focus is in demonstrating how the policies and priorities identified by the Government will be pursued within the context of the most imminent steps of the Brexit process, which is the Article 50 negotiations on the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

The Taoiseach has already outlined that this process of engagement is dynamic and will further intensify in the coming weeks and months, especially in respect of the economic implications of Brexit. As set out in the comprehensive document, however, in order to advance as quickly as possible to the discussions of the future EU-UK relationship, we must work closely with our EU partners to achieve sufficient progress on the priorities that have been identified as part of the withdrawal process. This will be a key focus for the Government in the coming weeks. We will be working with the EU taskforce and with our EU 27 partners to agree a more detailed set of negotiating directives. Once these are adopted by the General Affairs Council on 22 May I expect that the negotiations will, most likely, get under way in late June after the British general election.

Engagement with the EU taskforce has been an important focus for Government. It is therefore timely that Michel Barnier and members of his team are visiting Ireland later this week. During his visit Mr. Barnier will meet with the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan and the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Dara Murphy. He will also address a joint sitting of the Houses of the Oireachtas. Across our engagement with Mr. Barnier, the Government will take this opportunity to acknowledge the extensive level of engagement that he and his team have taken to date with Ireland at political and official level. We will use the occasion to welcome the draft negotiating directives that have been prepared by the task force that not only reflect the EU guidelines, but also take on board some additional concerns and issues that were identified in the Government's comprehensive document. We will also underline the Government's support for the phased approach and we will emphasise our hope that sufficient progress on the withdrawal issues can be made at an early stage so we can move on to the discussions around the future relationships. This depends very much also on the UK's approach to the negotiations and its willingness to engage constructively at all times. Mr. Barnier's visit will also take in meetings with citizens and stakeholders, including his visit to the Border area on Friday.

Of one thing we can be certain; Mr. Barnier is committing himself with an immense energy to the task of protecting Ireland's interests and the interests of the EU in the forthcoming negotiations with the UK. In delivering this concluding statement I am more than aware that it represents a mere punctuation mark in the continuing debate and discussions in the House. The EU guidelines and the draft negotiating directives speak to the effectiveness of the global supports to date, which has been clearly outlined in the comprehensive policy document. As the process continues we will continue to engage with the House and with citizen stakeholders to ensure that our approach to negotiations is understood. We welcome the support of all Members in the House. We must work together on this with constructive suggestions. Deputy Ó Cuív's speech earlier was very constructive and positive. I was taken with Deputy Byrne's contribution also on education and his opening remarks on the geopolitical influences. There are some very good ideas but we need to continue this, work together and put on the green jersey more than ever before. This is one of the biggest challenges the State has had to face in decades.

This is only a punctuation mark along the way. The work really only starts now.

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