Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together.

I met the United Kingdom Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, at Hillsborough Castle on 13 August. This was our first meeting since I became Taoiseach. We had a good discussion on Covid-19 and our respective experiences of managing the virus and dealing with its economic and societal impacts. We agreed that close contact on this topic should continue between our respective Administrations in the period ahead.

We also discussed Northern Ireland issues and noted the recent meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council in Dublin.

Finally, we discussed Brexit, including the continuing negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union as the transition period draws to a close. The Prime Minister assured me on that occasion that he was committed to implementation of the withdrawal agreement, including the protocol, and to reaching a deal with the European Union on the future relationship.

We also discussed the British-Irish relationship post Brexit and the need to create a new dynamic around that. Since then, of course, we have seen publication of the United Kingdom Government's draft Internal Market Bill, which would violate the withdrawal agreement.

I spoke with Prime Minister Johnson by phone on 9 September to set out in forthright terms my grave concerns about this development. I made the point that any unilateral attempt to undermine the withdrawal agreement and the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland is completely unacceptable and risks seriously eroding and damaging political trust in Northern Ireland, in our bilateral relations and between the United Kingdom and the European Union. I stressed to the Prime Minister that the United Kingdom Government should re-engage with European Union negotiators urgently.

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