Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I commend the work done by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Tánaiste, the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee, and the team to date in a very difficult situation. I am anxious this afternoon to allow the Minister of State time to expand on her views on the exact position in the Brexit talks. I seek her personal assessment. There is a public face but it is now really crunch time for informing the House what she has discerned on the likely outcomes of the talks.

For years since the UK vote, we have been absorbed across this island in preparing our economy and people for whatever will result from the people's vote in the UK to exit the European Union.

Unfortunately, we know the current UK Government has the most extreme views on what the Brexit vote was to mean. It is much more extreme than the people who voted for Brexit intended. It also has the most hostile views to the institutions of the EU itself, which filters out in its utterances.

Covid-19 has meant our focus on the oncoming end-of-year and end-of-transition period has greatly diminished for obvious and understandable reasons. Meanwhile, the UK seems to have reverted to the original "have your cake and eat it" demand. Despite the last minute agreement at the end of last year, including the political declaration we thought was a solution, the UK has now reverted to what is, in essence, a demand for quota-free and tariff-free access to our Single Market without any adherence to the governing rules of that market, which of course is demonstrably impossible.

During the previous debate on Brexit, the Tánaiste did not accept my pessimism - I would love to be dissuaded of it - about the likelihood of a no-deal result at the end of this year. I have a number of questions for the Minister of State and I would like to come back in after she answers, so I ask her to be as succinct as possible. What is her current assessment of the negotiations and how does she see them unfolding? She gave a brief answer when she said she was optimistic but in truth what are her thoughts on what is happening and likely to happen?

She referenced the announced Covid-19 supports through the Next Generation EU fund. This is the €750 billion to "repair and prepare the next generation", according to the European Commission. Ireland and Belgium have asked for the Brexit considerations to be taken into account; this is instead of what I understand is simply a snapshot of our economic performance before Covid-19. Where are we in that regard and is it true that the allocation from the €750 billion earmarked for us is €3 billion? How much of that is to be a direct grant from the total grant of €310 billion and how much is to be a loan from the total of €250 billion that will be made available for loans?

My third question relates to fisheries. Will fisheries in all eventualities and circumstances remain part of the general trade discussions? Will the Minister of State give an assurance to the House that Ireland will not allow it to be detached and negotiated separately?

Fourth, in preparing for Brexit, will the Government ensure capital through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund is available to prepare us to overcome the obvious barriers that will exist with land bridge UK? In particular we must ensure a better direct access point from ferry points like Rosslare Europort to continental ports in order to relieve the pressure on the European land bridge.

I might add a fifth question. The Minister of State spoke about a paper being prepared on the topic of the land bridge but I had not heard that previously. Will she provide us with access to that paper?

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