Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy's summary of the Government's approach to the Brexit negotiations lacks the reality of the work that has been done. All he has to do is look at the agreements reached and statements made so far, all of which put at their centre the priorities of the Irish Government. That is absolutely clear from statements by the British Prime Minister and EU levels. Michel Barnier's understanding and appreciation of the critical nature of the Irish position is clear. The issues about which we are concerned have been given priority over the last months in all the speeches by all the relevant people. There is acceptance that the priorities of the Irish Government need to be fully dealt with in the negotiations. What the Deputy has said is completely inaccurate. The Government has been working at a pace and has been carrying out extremely intensive diplomatic engagements, as all Members of the House know, with all the relevant people across Europe.

Having said that, we all recognise the seriousness of the challenge ahead. This morning's ESRI report clearly addresses the economic implications of a hard Brexit and the job losses that could follow. Every Minister, in all our negotiations and actions, has recognised this. This week I met the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. The engagement they have with business in terms of preparation for Brexit is absolutely clear and is going on up and down the country and, indeed, internationally. There is an increased focus on making sure we have new markets, that current businesses are protected and that our small and medium enterprises engage in innovation to ensure they continue to create jobs and deal with the challenges.

One year on from the decision of the British people to leave the EU, the opening of the negotiations is very welcome. They are important for all of us. It is one of the most serious sets of negotiations this country will ever have to face. The Irish issues are very well placed. I reiterate what we have said consistently, namely, that safeguarding the Good Friday Agreement and avoiding a hard Border on the island of Ireland will be an early priority. That was actually reaffirmed at the meeting between the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister in Downing Street. A long and difficult road lies ahead but I assure the Deputy that every initiative and step will be taken to safeguard the current situation.

I spoke to the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, in this regard this morning. As far as the economic implications of Brexit are concerned, we will continue to monitor them very carefully and the decisions we take in the months ahead and leading up to the budget will be prudent ones in terms of managing this economy.

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