Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We all welcome the fact that, after two years negotiating among themselves, we finally have before us a document that outlines a future EU-UK relationship. It is useful that we have something with which to engage, although it remains to be seen whether it will continue to be the settled position of the British Government once the more detailed White Paper is published in a few days' time, or if the particular White Paper will command a majority in the British Parliament because there are serious questions to be answered. Mrs. Theresa May has suggested Britain would continue to have access to the Single Market for goods, but she has not declared her willingness to oversee and monitor it and, similarly, the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and the maintenance of the four freedoms. They can be debated, but at least we now have something with which to engage.

The direction of travel in the United Kingdom seems to be towards closer alignment with the European Union, rather than the drift away which was prevalent previously. However, we cannot afford to be complacent, welcome though it is. There have been so many variations in the UK proposals that there is no guarantee that the latest variation will survive. There is also a real possibility that Mrs. Theresa May's minority Government will fall, triggering a UK general election. The policy of the British Labour Party, with which I keep in very close contact, is to retain full membership of the customs union and the Single Market for at least a four-year transition period that would ensure an appropriate time within which to negotiate more robust permanent arrangements. Mrs. Theresa May's aim is still to leave both by March next year, at which point Northern Ireland's Border will be thrown into question.

The need for clarity on the backstop position is urgent for us. Last week I said there was a golden opportunity, following the announcement of the Austrian Presidency of a special summit on 20 September, to add to the agenda this one issue, namely, the need for clarity on the legal text of the Irish backstop. I warmly welcome the fact that the Taoiseach has already raised the issue with the Austrian Chancellor.

The Taoiseach did not quite indicate what was the Austrian Chancellor's response. I ask him to outline it to the House. I do not think he should leave this option in abeyance. I think it should be the objective in order that the Irish question will be settled and taken off the agenda by the time we get to the October summit. That would be terrific. It would give Ireland and Britain an opportunity to deal with the broader issues without this matter being on the agenda. I ask the Taoiseach to seek the agreement of the Austrian Presidency to have the Irish backstop position formally tabled as a second agenda item for the special summit on 20 September.

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