Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What was agreed in respect of the Northern Ireland protocol has been set out very clearly. It is not open to reinterpretation or change; it is there to be implemented. The protocol goes into great detail as to what needs to be done and as to how it can be implemented to ensure that not only the integrity of the Single Market is protected, but also relations on this island. The UK has presented this paper as an initial position. It is not set in stone and, as I have said, it will not necessarily be the final document. The final document is the protocol that was agreed last year. Neither we nor the Commission will accept any rewording, renegotiation or reinterpretation. The joint committee has been put in place to oversee implementation, not to change the protocol in any way, shape or form. We are very clear on that. The wording is agreed. How it is to be implemented is very clearly set out in a legal document. It is now a matter of implementing it.

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