Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Our plan is to engage as part of the European Union with the British Government to seek an agreement on the protocol, not just on the issues relating to trade but also to ensure issues relating to human rights and the non-diminution of the rights of people in Northern Ireland are fully protected. This is something we are very keen to do with Prime Minister Sunak and his Cabinet. If the election is called and goes ahead, we will have to take stock of the result. I doubt it will be very different or different at all but it may be. Who knows? At that point, we will engage with the British Government bilaterally to see what we can do to get an Executive formed or, if that cannot happen, what alternatives we can put in place. We are making it very clear there cannot be a return to the direct rule of the past.

What the Deputy is touching on are some very reasonable questions but what she is talking about essentially is changes to key provisions of the Good Friday Agreement. The Good Friday Agreement was passed by a referendum here and north of the Border and making any changes to it would be profound and would have to be dealt with sensitively.

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