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

I agree with the Tánaiste. The concerns are truly national and island-wide, North to South and east to west. We have consistently told the Tánaiste and Taoiseach that where they pursue and secure those national interests we will back them and applaud them for their efforts. That is why clarity is so important at this juncture. The Tánaiste has described the very scenario to which we subscribe, namely, the maintenance of the Good Friday Agreement in all of its parts, including citizens' rights, the purview of the European Court of Justice, access to the European courts and, critically, the North remaining within the customs union and Single Market.

At this juncture, the Dáil deserves a clear statement that the Government will not agree to anything which forces the North from the customs union and the Single Market. In the absence of that kind of clarity and a deal which secures that we are undoubtedly headed towards a border on the island of Ireland, the undermining of the Good Friday Agreement and everything else that might flow from that.

I am not questioning the bona fides of the Tánaiste the or the consistency of his public utterances, rather, I acknowledge them heartily. I ask for a statement of clarity, and a simple "Yes" or "No" will do. Can he confirm for the House that he will not agree to any deal which takes the North of Ireland out of the Single Market and the customs union?

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