Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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5. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the discussion he has had with his counterparts in the British Government regarding the backstop and the indicated timeframe for the UK Government to outline its counterproposals and publication of legal language in advance of the October 2018 EU summit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40524/18]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Will the Tánaiste report to the Dáil on the discussions he has had with his counterparts in the British Government on the matter of the backstop, and the timeframe within which the UK Government will outline and set out its counterproposals and the publication of legal language in advance of the summit at the end of October?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is important to note that the negotiations on the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, including the draft protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, are between the UK and the European Commission task force acting on behalf of the other 27 EU member states. I and my officials are, of course, in very regular contact with Michel Barnier and his team. I also have regular meetings and conversations with British Ministers which offer the opportunity to discuss the negotiations. I have taken every opportunity to impress upon UK counterparts the importance of the backstop. In my recent meetings or conversations with Dominic Raab, Jeremy Hunt, David Lidington and Karen Bradley I emphasised that it was the responsibility of the UK to put forward viable and workable proposals for the backstop, and I encouraged the UK to engage constructively on the issue, including on Michel Barnier’s efforts to de-dramatise the backstop, which I believe were very sincere and have made the problem much more manageable. This was also the Taoiseach’s message in his meeting with Prime Minister May in Salzburg on 20 September.

Last month, Prime Minister May announced that the UK would bring forward its own proposals for a backstop arrangement.

The Government welcomed this announcement. We had been calling for a long time for the UK to engage fully with this issue. However, time is short. It is important for these proposals to be shared soon to allow the negotiations to make progress before the October meeting of the European Council. Our preference is for an overall EU-UK relationship which would resolve all issues. However, it remains essential for a legally operable backstop, which provides certainty that a hard border will be avoided in any circumstances, to be agreed. Therefore, it cannot be temporary. It must be in place unless and until another solution is found. This position is supported and shared by our fellow EU member states. When I was in Poland yesterday, I received strong solidarity again, as has been the case in every EU state to which I have travelled.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I asked the Tánaiste to outline his understanding of the nature of the counter-proposals from the UK at this point. What does he expect them to be? It is important for people on the island of Ireland to begin to understand the proposals that are likely to emanate from the UK Government.

The second issue I raise has already been mentioned by the Tánaiste this morning. Following the recent comments made by Ms Foster on behalf of the DUP, does the Tánaiste, as our foreign Minister, have a sense of how he proposes to reach out to the unionist community in the context of these complex discussions? In his role as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, has he been having discussions with people from the unionist community?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy has asked two very fair questions. I am not in a position to outline the position in respect of the British paper as it has not been published. It would be wrong to do so. It is the job of the British side to make a proposal. I hope it will not publish any proposal before it has been brought to the negotiating room in Brussels. The British and EU sides need to work together in that room to find a position that both of them can support. We are at the business end of these negotiations now. In my view, the negotiations need to make progress in the next two weeks - we are talking about next week or next weekend - before the General Affairs Council meeting, which I will attend, and the leaders' summit, which will be attended by the Taoiseach. Time is short. The focus now has to be on trying to close gaps between the two negotiating teams. If a British paper is part of that effort, it will be welcome. The most important thing is for the detail of that to be worked through by the negotiating teams, as opposed to it being published and essentially assessed by the wider community. We have to get down to the detail of an agreed position at this stage.

The Deputy also asked about my contacts with the unionist community. I was in a Presbyterian church in Belfast on Sunday to recognise Victoria Cross recipients from the First World War. I sat next to Jeffrey Donaldson, who made me feel very welcome. We had an opportunity to have brief discussions on some of the pressures and strains that clearly exist at present. They are linked to Brexit and to the lack of an Executive in Northern Ireland.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I call Deputy Burton to ask her final question. We have gone a minute over time.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I will continue to reach out to and engage with members of the unionist community.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I have called Deputy Burton. Other Deputies are waiting.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I assure them they have nothing to fear from me or from this Government.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am only implementing the rules.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Tánaiste has said that the negotiating team in Brussels will be the first and primary recipients of the UK proposals and that the Irish Government will not receive them at the same time. I think we should be advised on that because it is a bit unfortunate.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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No, that is not what I said.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Tánaiste will have a further minute for clarification.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Are there Irish people working with Mr. Barnier, who has done a very good job? What Irish people, with knowledge of the subtleties of the relationships on these islands, are on the negotiating team? The Tánaiste said that the negotiating team will be the recipient of the UK proposals. He also said that he does not want them to be published. Can he advise us further in that regard? In the circumstances he has outlined, when will he get these proposals?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Let us not try to twist language here. These issues are important. I said that my preference is for any new tabling of proposals to happen between the negotiating teams that are trying to find a way forward and to compromise. We speak to the Barnier task force every single day.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I know that.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Any proposals received by the Barnier task force that relate to Ireland are shared with Ireland immediately and will continue to be shared with Ireland immediately.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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What Irish people are on the team?

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Tánaiste, without interruption.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I will explain the way the Barnier task force works. He has a group of very experienced technical negotiators. They interact with our ambassador in Brussels and our team there on a daily basis. I would say that our team there is almost interwoven with the task force on the Irish issues. They will continue to interact on the complex issues that need to be worked through next week and probably the following week. There is no question of hiding anything from Ireland. We are very much part of these discussions. As anyone who has been involved in negotiations will understand, it is when the most sensitive and difficult issues are reached that the negotiating teams need to interact with each other, as opposed to publishing papers and making political statements outside the room. The negotiation rooms in Brussels are the place to get this done now.