Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is a month since the Taoiseach met Boris Johnson and vowed to work with him on Northern Ireland's future in the aftermath of the Ballymurphy inquiry report. He described it at the time as a constructive discussion. However, things have deteriorated incredibly since then and there is deep concern across a whole range of issues. Last Sunday, Mr. Johnson said he would do whatever it takes to protect the territorial integrity of the UK, as he recklessly wound up tensions over the Northern Ireland protocol. Following on from that, we have had various loyalists saying they are coming to Dublin with their protests. They are playing with fire, as I am sure the Taoiseach agrees. One thing follows the other and there has been a deliberate stoking of the issue just as the power-sharing institutions at Stormont are at risk.

This is a cyclical process and we have been here before. Now, however, the situation seems to be more sinister and dangerous and the British are all but threatening to trigger Article 16 at the end of the month. Can the Taoiseach give the House an honest assessment of where we are at in this regard? Such a development would be potentially devastating to the peace process. Has he any sense of what is being talked about in terms of the EU applying trade sanctions and tariffs, if that happens? We hope it will not. Has he spoken to Boris Johnson since the weekend and, if not, does he intend to do so? The next month or month and a half is going to be incredibly tense.

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