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

I thank the Opposition parties in particular for their co-operation and assistance, not just in the past couple of days but since early January when we carried out briefings on the heads of the Bill. People have been very receptive and have shown willingness at an early stage to work with me, the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, and others to get this done on time. I am sure we will have similar co-operation next week.

People will rightly ask the hard questions and seek explanations as to why we are taking the approach we are. All parties regardless of background or political perspective have recognised that this is an important safety net for Irish people in the context of something we do not expect will happen but for which we must prepare just in case.

We will know much more this time next week. There will be a meaningful vote in the British House of Commons on Tuesday. It is too early to be in any way optimistic yet. The negotiations have been difficult and have not gone especially well in Brussels yet, but I suspect there will be pretty intensive negotiations through the weekend - I certainly hope so - to try to put together a package that can be persuasive in Westminster but at the same time not undermine the core meaning of the withdrawal agreement, particularly from an Irish perspective given the Irish protocol and the backstop. The Government's and the EU's perspective on that is very clear on the parameters within which reassurance and clarification can be provided.

I also thank the Ceann Comhairle and his team. We have put everybody under pressure with the pace at which this legislation needs to move through the House.

Most importantly, I want to thank our own team, and Ms. Alma Ní Choigligh and Ms. Aingeal O'Donoghue in particular, who have led on this. They have co-ordinated with many other Departments, which also have been hugely helpful. I think the political system in this House, and indeed in the Seanad, has shown that when there is an issue of national import, we can come together to get something substantive done. That is what we are doing this week and will do again next week.

Deputy Howlin mentioned the term that is used in Brussels now when they want to hunker down and keep the media and others out of this conversation, which is that they go into a tunnel. I believe we probably will see a version of a tunnel in the next few days. I think that is necessary, incidentally, as this issue will not be resolved through a debate in the media. This issue will be resolved by professional negotiating teams finding a sensible way forward that both sides can live with, that does not undermine the deal that is already on the table but which at the same time provides reassurance and clarification for which many in Westminster are looking. I hope that can be done but it is too early to be optimistic. The message I would give to those outside of this House is that the Government is preparing, and is in fact accelerating, its preparations for a no-deal, just in case. Everybody else should be doing the same.

The assumption that all will be okay next week is not an assumption that I believe should be a basis for moving away from trying to be as prepared as we can be over the next 23 days, should the unthinkable happen and Britain crash out without a deal. I think it is unlikely that this will happen but it is possible. While it is possible, we need to be alert to the preparations that are needed to protect Irish people and Irish businesses in that context. I thank everybody and I look forward to being in the Seanad next week to finish the job of finalising the passage of this legislation through the Houses.

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