Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On Wednesday of last week, the Taoiseach stated, " I am now of the view that it is likely we will be able to say that sufficient progress has been made at the December meeting, allowing us to move on to discussions on transition and the future arrangements." On Sunday, Michel Barnier said that EU member states need to start preparing for the collapse of the talks. At the October meeting, the Government's position was that insufficient progress had been made.

I have two questions on this matter. What changed and what progress was made between the October meeting and Taoiseach's statement last Wednesday that seemed to shift Ireland's position to us being able to move on? Does the Government agree with the leaked paper from the EU Commission which says if the UK leaves the customs union and the Single Market, it would be impossible to see how border controls with the North could be avoided?

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