Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It seems we are coming down to the crux of the withdrawal element within the Brexit negotiations, and it seems to focus on the issue of whether there will be a border in the Irish Sea or what type of border would exist between the island of Ireland and Britain. I know our preference might have been for as easy a border-less east-west outcome as a North-South one. However, as I understand it from listening to Michel Barnier, the EU has to protect its own Single Market and, in doing so, while it may be willing to offer concessions to ensure there is no border on the island of Ireland, it will not provide such a mechanism for the rest of the UK and, therefore, there will have to be some sort of border in the Irish Sea.

If that is the case, can the Taoiseach outline whether the Government is considering technological applications that might be able to manage that and which would be able to get over some of the constitutional difficulties the UK Government might have? Does he agree that, in hindsight, maybe we made a mistake last December? On the Monday, the original deal was done with the UK Government which envisaged that outcome but the British Government then capitulated and, by the latter part of that week, on the Thursday, there was a new wording along the lines of "one for everyone in the audience", that the Single Market does not matter. Maybe we should have been more honest and direct last December by holding to the line of the agreement that was written on the Monday rather than putting in the fudge on the Thursday. Does the Taoiseach believe there is some way we can overcome this issue of the border in the Irish Sea that I believe Michel Barnier wants?

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