Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On about four occasions in the last six months I have asked the Taoiseach to detail the specific numbers of staff assigned to each area within this very broad division.

This is something that previous taoisigh have been willing to do. Will the Taoiseach tell us exactly how many officials are working on the distinct roles of international affairs, EU affairs and Northern Ireland? Each of these areas has separate management positions within the Department. It should be eminently possible to disaggregate the number of officials in each area. A continued refusal to supply these numbers will suggest an intention to gloss over how few people are working on particular tasks that have been identified as national priorities.

I described Brexit yesterday as an ugly campaign, among many other things. I think the remarks of former MP Taylor can be considered in a similar vein. One of the core elements of the work of this division relates to Brexit. The timetable is not clear. I have been criticised by Government Ministers for rearticulating, to some extent, what the Tánaiste had said about the June deadline. If the June deadline is not reached, we will have to question whether it will be possible to get agreement by October. The Tánaiste made remarks to that effect on the BBC. The Taoiseach said around the same time that he did not mind if this slipped to October. His position was quoted by the UK Secretary of State for Brexit, David Davis, in his effort to ignore the June deadline.

We all got a sense yesterday that this will be resolved in October. That was the clear impression yesterday. The Taoiseach might have a contrary view. There is talk of substantial progress by June. Has anyone defined what "substantial progress" means? Is it still the Taoiseach's view that this can be resolved in October? Is he concerned about what appears to the twin-tracking of the final status negotiations and the resolution of the question of the island of Ireland, as Deputy Burton has set out?

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