Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will try to say this as moderately as I can in order to allay the fears of some. Will the Taoiseach explain to me the basis of his statement at last week's Council meeting to the effect that the British might change their mind on leaving the customs union. Was that just him thinking out loud or was it based on something he had picked up from the British or heard from one of the negotiators?

In the short time available, I wish, if I might, to make a point. Quite correctly, concerns around partiality and the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement have been raised in the context of the deal the DUP has cut with the Tories. I bring the attention of the House to the fact that the DUP has now signed on for the Tory Brexit agenda in its confidence-and-supply agreement. We need to be very concerned about that. We welcome the £1 billion, should it materialise. Funnily enough, the figure tallies precisely with that which has been cut from the block grant, as it is called, over the past five to six years. However, lest there be any naïveté or misunderstanding as to the intentions of the Tory Brexiteers, it is to exit the Single Market, to exit the customs union and to end the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union. I was intrigued, therefore, by the Taoiseach's comments in respect of their changing their minds and staying in the customs union. I really hope that the Taoiseach is not engaging in that type of wishful thinking because it will not serve us well.

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