Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I too am disappointed that we do not appear to be on the cusp of a deal, but it is important to acknowledge the solidarity of the EU 26 towards Ireland is enduring. That priority is of the utmost importance. The European Union remains clear that the outcome of the negotiations, whenever it might be - I acknowledge that in the circumstances uncertainty is unhelpful - must be a workable solution towards the avoidance of a hard border, which means no physical infrastructure and no associated checks and controls anywhere on the island of Ireland. That was agreed to last December and there can be no compromise on it. Our preference is still for an overall UK-EU relationship which would resolve all of the issues, but it remains essential that the agreement on the backstop be fully maintained because it provides certainty that there will be no hard border in any circumstance.

In recent years we have had opportunities to debate and assess our position on contingencies, but the Government continues to work with our EU partners to secure the best deal possible. In that regard, the budget announced last week provided significant additional funding for the preparations for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. A new €300 million future growth loan scheme was provided for, in addition to the €300 million Brexit working capital scheme. We have increased the budget for InterTradeIreland by more than €1 million. We have also increased the budget for local enterprise offices across the country by €5 million. A cross-government awareness campaign is well under way and being led by the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Coveney; the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Heather Humphreys, and others entitled, Getting Ireland Brexit Ready. Events have taken place in Cork and Galway and further events are planned for this week and next in Monaghan and Dublin. A considerable number of positive actions have been taken by the Government to ensure we can mitigate the consequences of Brexit.

Let me be clear: there is no such thing as a good Brexit. It will be a difficult challenge, but in the next few days the focus must be on encouraging the parties to continue their negotiations to find a settlement.

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