Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government's focus for the next six weeks will be on trying to get a deal done. We are not going to focus on increasing the public commentary on contingency planning. All of that work is important and continuing. However, when one is focused on trying to get a deal done, one needs to start talking about solutions, rather than dealing with problems, while at the same time ensuring we are planning for all scenarios, as we are. While I understand Deputy Lisa Chambers's focus on contingency planning and while we will give her as much information as we can, between now and the middle of November I want the focus to be on getting a deal done. When people talk about a chasm between the UK and EU positions, I do not accept that. What we have is a withdrawal treaty that has been 90% written and agreed to. The last 10% is difficult to agree. Most of it relates to Ireland and the Irish backstop. However, the commitment from the UK Prime Minister is a backstop that will provide the guarantees necessary that there will be no physical border infrastructure on the island of Ireland in the future. To her credit, she has committed to this. What we now need is a legal text that deliver will it in the Irish protocol that will be part of the withdrawal treaty. This can be done in an intensification of the negotiations in the next two weeks.

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