Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I have not received any advice on changing that position but on foot of this, let me give it some consideration and come back to the Deputy.

On the North-South elements, co-operation is excellent. I interact with the Deputy's party colleague and one of my counterparts, Economy Minister, Dr. Caoimhe Archibald, on a regular basis, and the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. We discussed the issue of trade and tariffs at the North-South Ministerial Council in County Armagh recently and also in our bilateral meetings at the British-Irish Council, also held in the North the week before that. There is, therefore, ongoing engagement at both official and political level, as there should be.

On the issue of briefings, I reiterate that my Department remains available and will continue to provide briefings to all interested Oireachtas Members and, of course, to the Deputy, Opposition parties and, indeed, the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, as appropriate, because we are in a time of huge uncertainty and we need to continue to provide the latest information across the House as it becomes available.

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