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

On the question of the all-island economy, a huge priority of the Brexit negotiations has been to ensure there is no border infrastructure and no barriers to trade between North and South. That has been a huge challenge. The solution we arrived at - the protocol on Northern Ireland and Ireland - is somewhat controversial for some because it requires some level of checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on trade in order to effectively create a de facto extension of the EU Single Market for goods into Northern Ireland and in Northern Ireland. That said, there are still differences between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from a trade perspective. We have seen country of origin issues on steel, for example. The grace period that was put in place in the protocols on Northern Ireland and Ireland for Northern Ireland, some for three months and some for six months, in terms of health certificates and so on, make the trade slightly different from Great Britain across the Irish Sea into Northern Ireland compared with the Republic of Ireland. In time, I think we will ensure there is a level playing field in that trade. We are trying to protect an all-island economy that functions well and is a significant contributor to community relations and good political relations on the island.

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