David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

With respect, I think the Tánaiste has presented inaccurate information to the House. I read the draft protocol and also the draft withdrawal agreement. It is colour-co-ordinated, as the Tánaiste knows, and every single section that refers to Ireland and the protocol, with the exception of the common travel area, is in white, which means it is still to be agreed. He will also know that Downing Street and the British Prime Minister rejected, out of hand, a legal text that was published by the European Commission. What the British Government is saying is that it agrees in principle to some form of protocol but it has not signed up to any legal text. That is the difficulty here. Yes, there has been progress, and the Tánaiste knows we have recognised progress, but we have a concern in regard to what all of this will mean.

I want to see the North staying in the customs union and the Single Market because that is the best way to avoid any hardening of the Border. I want to see a free trade agreement or some form of customs partnership between Britain and the EU, which would certainly be a big help. However, the backstop arrangement, which we were told was a cast-iron guarantee, only covers areas of North-South co-operation, the all-island economy and the 1998 agreement; it does not cover all goods and all services. My clear question to the Tánaiste is this: if, as a worst-case scenario, the backstop arrangement is put in place, what goods and services will not be covered and be subject to checks, either in factories or on the Border itself?

See this speech in context