Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Given the current political uncertainty in London, there is a significant risk of a no-deal Brexit. We do not want such an outcome, but Ireland cannot move away from an agreed and negotiated position to an unknown and untested solution. The responsibility to avoid a no-deal outcome lies with the United Kingdom because it will never be the choice of the European Union. Ireland and its EU partners stand by the withdrawal agreement. We are committed to finding a way forward and, as we have said repeatedly, open to hearing any credible, fully worked out proposal from the United Kingdom.

We have, of course, noted the findings of the Supreme Court in the United Kingdom and continue to monitor developments closely, but it would not be appropriate or helpful for me to comment on the internal workings of the British Parliament or courts. I will say, however, that any proposal from the United Kingdom must achieve the same outcome as the backstop. This test is crystal clear. A solution must avoid a hard border, fully protect the Good Friday Agreement and North-South co-operation and preserve the all-island economy, as well as the integrity of the EU Single Market and Ireland's place in it. To date, there is nothing on the table that would achieve the same outcome as the backstop. As the Taoiseach said when he met Prime Minister Johnson in New York on Tuesday, the gaps between the European Union and the United Kingdom are still very wide. Unless and until it is shown that any alternative arrangement could pass the test, the EU position remains that the withdrawal agreement, including the backstop, is the only way forward. Proposals which would not achieve these aims, or which would only partially achieve them, are unacceptable. Media speculation suggesting otherwise is simply incorrect.

We welcome the intensification of discussions between the European Commission and the United Kingdom. However, meetings are not enough, with only a handful of weeks remaining until the European Council meeting in October. The United Kingdom must match its stated aspirations with actions and present fully worked out solutions. Prime Minister Johnson has floated the idea of an all-island sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, area, but, while SPS alignment will form an essential part of any solution, it is not enough in itself. Agreeing to this limited approach would have considerable negative impacts on life on both sides of the Border and such a proposal does not meet the test of having the same outcome as the backstop.

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