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

I would like to make a few points. First, and I said this earlier, Ireland will not support any deal that involves us acquiescing to the reintroduction of Border infrastructure on the island. That cannot be the compromise that gets the deal across the line because essentially what we would be doing is moving away from regulatory alignment as the way of solving this problem towards trying to manage Border infrastructure and trying to limit the damage as best we can. We have an approach to solve this problem, albeit on a temporary basis but for as long as necessary until other solutions emerge. It is called the backstop. It can be UK-wide or it can be Northern Ireland-specific – we do not mind. That commits to ensuring there is a level playing field and common rules on both sides of Border on this island to ensure we do not have to put checks in place again, whether they be on the Border or anywhere else for that matter. That was the commitment in terms of the approach back in December 2017. It was also the commitment in the withdrawal agreement that got supported. We want to try to find a way of ensuring that commitment is followed through on. If the British Government wants to replace the backstop, it must replace it with something that does the same job. That is our position. Our position in a no-deal scenario is that we will need to put temporary emergency solutions in place that protect our place in the Single Market while we continue to negotiate and advocate for more comprehensive solutions.

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