Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am interested in the conversation the Taoiseach had with President Macron about Brexit. It appears that there is a growing realisation across the EU that Brexit, particularly on the British Government's terms, is incompatible with the Good Friday Agreement. The Taoiseach knows that Sinn Féin has been saying this from the outset. We see from last week's leaked papers a recognition that cross-Border co-operation is underpinned by EU legislation. The papers also make it clear that it is essential for the British Government to commit to avoiding a hard border, protecting the Good Friday Agreement in all of its parts and ensuring that the rules of the Single Market and the customs union are met. In our view, the only credible way to achieve this is special status for Northern Ireland within the EU. In other words, for Northern Ireland to remain within the internal market, the customs union and the EU legal framework. That would be possible if the Government presses for it in the Brexit negotiations. Europe is coming around to that view. The Taoiseach has a responsibility to ensure that this view is progressed and the Government has a responsibility not to waver or deviate from that position.

The British Government needs to start coming up with the goods and putting meat on the bones in terms of what it is suggesting. It needs to bring forward explicit proposals to ensure that Northern Ireland remains within the Single Market and the customs union. Will the Taoiseach commit to using the Government's veto on progressing the talks to include the issue of trade if the British Government refuses to seriously deal with this issue? In our view, the best of way of doing so is special status for Northern Ireland within the EU. Were these issues raised with President Macron?

See this speech in context