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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 9, inclusive, together.

I spoke by telephone to Chancellor Merkel on Thursday, 3 January. A focus of our discussion was my attendance at the CSU meeting in Bavaria but the main focus turned out to be Brexit and the importance of the withdrawal agreement agreed between the European Union and United Kingdom last November being ratified. We agreed that while we would be ready to offer additional reassurances and clarifications to the United Kingdom, there could be no renegotiation or contradiction of the withdrawal agreement, including on the backstop.

We reiterated our commitment to starting negotiations on the future relationship as soon as possible after the United Kingdom's withdrawal and our wish for that relationship to be as close, comprehensive and ambitious as the United Kingdom wants it to be.

We also discussed our work on preparedness, including contingency planning for a no-deal scenario, recognising that the closer we get to 29 March without ratification of the withdrawal agreement, the more urgent the work becomes. I expect to meet or speak to Chancellor Merkel again later this week.

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