Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Many questions have been raised and I will do my best to answer as many of them as I can in the time permitted. The negotiations are happening in private. They are happening in a "tunnel" and in private for a very good reason. I have always said throughout these talks over the past year and a half that it was not helpful to give a running commentary on negotiations. It is certainly not in our national interest to do that. That is particularly true when we are approaching a very sensitive phase. I believe we are approaching a very sensitive phase now so I hope Deputies will understand why I need to be a little cautious in the way I answer questions. However, I am very happy to make officials available for confidential briefings with the party leaders and their teams this week and also should we come to the point where we have an agreement. I would be very happy for that to happen. I will ask my officials to contact the leaders' offices to set that up as soon as possible.

Deputy Martin was correct in saying that the UK staying in a customs union for a time or staying in a temporary customs arrangement would be beneficial for Ireland because of the benefits of frictionless trade east-west between Britain and Ireland, which is very important for the agrifood sector our small and medium enterprises and also for Northern Ireland. Let us not forget that much of the trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain goes through Dublin Port and Rosslare. It is the quickest way to get from Northern Ireland to the midlands and the south of England. It is not Larne to Stranraer and all the way down. It is Dublin to Rosslare and across to England. I hope business in Northern Ireland will see the benefits of the UK staying aligned to the customs union.

In terms of legal interpretation, again Deputy Martin made a very valid point. There have been some discussions on this already. We want to avoid a situation whereby we have an agreement that is made and then, two or three days later, we have the European Union interpreting it differently from the UK. That is something we are aware of and some consideration has been given to making sure we have a common legal interpretation, as it were, of the agreement whenever it comes.

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