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

I thank the Deputy for the compliments in regard to repatriation, particularly through our embassy in Washington, which got involved in a huge number of cases.

With regard to his comments on the EU, the Deputy is right. While at election time we do not often get asked detailed EU institutional questions the truth is that many decisions that impact the lives of people in Ireland, whether fishermen, farmers or business people, are taken in Brussels as well as here. We need to have people in positions of influence and a Government that is connected and resourced to build relationships and alliances to ensure we win the arguments in the key policy forming debates that shape the European Union and its future. We are investing in this.

The EU without Britain will be a very different European Union for Ireland. We have created new alliances, particularly with the Nordic and Baltic states, reinforced many of the traditional alliances with France, Germany, the Mediterranean states and the Benelux countries as well as developed new relationships with some of the newer member states of the European Union. I assure the Deputy we are absolutely doing this. We are also investing in our physical diplomatic footprint. We have an embassy in every EU capital. We have opened up a new series of consulates throughout the European Union. For example, we have opened one in Frankfurt. We have done a strategic review of our relationship with Germany and France to invest in a more targeted way to ensure our systems are fit for purpose.

I reassure the House that we have been planning not only to get a good outcome on Brexit but also for Ireland's place in the European Union post Brexit, without the UK at the negotiating table with us doing some of the heavy lifting in some of the areas that are very important for Ireland, particularly taxation. I reassure people on this.

We need to be careful not to try to label ourselves with northern Europe or southern Europe. We have strategic interests in alliances with countries in various parts of Europe on various policy areas. For example, we have a very strong relationship with France on agriculture. We have a very strong relationship with a number of countries on fishing interests. We have a very similar approach to a group of countries on economic management, financial management, banking and taxation. This, of course, is a crucial debate from an Irish perspective. I reassure the House that medium-term planning for Ireland's place at the heart of the European Union is very much under way.

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