Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Members of the Upper House for their considered contributions to the ongoing debate. This is the first of a number of opportunities we will have in the coming years to debate this important matter. I assure Senators of my full engagement with them. I acknowledge their role, not only here in plenary session where I have had the opportunity over recent months to engage with them on a number of issues. I hereby undertake to continue that direct engagement which I always value and regard as positive.

A number of this afternoon’s contributions will inform me in the matter of my further engagements. I would be happy to relay the opinions and observations of the Members of the Senate to my Government colleagues. In this regard, I reiterate that every Department has a direct involvement in the matter of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. We are anxious under the leadership of the Taoiseach to ensure that every Department carries out its own detailed analysis and impact assessment. That will feed into the special designated Cabinet committee chaired by the Taoiseach which will have a very important role to play in the matter of co-ordination.

I will outline some of the key events in coming months which form a key aspect of the Government’s plan and strategy. This, of course, will be kept under constant review as we roll out our plan for Brexit. As I mentioned earlier, later this month, we will have a meeting of the Export Trade Council, which represents another strand of the Government’s work, on protecting and developing our economy and our trade relationship, the importance of which has been mentioned by Senator Lombard and others. Ireland needs to look at new global opportunities for trade and investment, building on our considerable success to date with the Asia-Pacific region, for example. That will be the focus of the Export Trade Council meeting the week after next.

In parallel with this, we will continue to work towards maintaining and further developing our existing trade relationship with the United Kingdom. I acknowledge the very serious situation the currency issue brings to bear on business. I reiterate the commitment given by the Ministers, Deputies Noonan and Donohoe, that all aspects of next week’s budget will be Brexit-proofed.

I acknowledge what Senator Leyden has said and I accept the support he offered on behalf of his party. Ireland will be firmly at the negotiating table as an equal member of the European Union and we will be fully involved at all levels.I, along with my Government colleagues, will be anxious to keep this House fully informed of developments as they occur. At European level, we now know the UK Government's intention is to invoke the Article 50 procedure by the end of March of next year. It has given initial indications of its likely approach to the substance of these negotiations.

In parallel, the Heads of the other 27 Governments will continue to work on work that commenced last month in Bratislava. That work will continue to focus on concrete areas where the Union needs to do more to deliver for its citizens and address the concerns about the security and prosperity of its citizens. I acknowledge the remarks made by Senator Ó Ríordáin in that regard. I share his view that Europe has over the decades been a very strong force for good throughout the world, in particular within its own enlarging boundaries since the 1950s. It is a matter of regret that this aspect of European engagement did not appear to feature very much in the context of the debate in the United Kingdom.

The process of reflection will run from Bratislava last month up to the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome on 25 March next. We will, in the meantime, continue with our contacts on a direct basis with our UK counterparts. As I mentioned earlier, the UK Secretary of State Davis was in Dublin a few weeks ago. I had the opportunity of engaging face-to-face with him at what we both described as the first round of talks. It will be the first of many meetings that we will have with our respective counterparts in Westminster. I also met the UK Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson. I expect to welcome him to Dublin very shortly. The new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, was in Dublin a few weeks and I had an opportunity to meet him in the UK. Northern Ireland was a central part of the discussions with these Ministers. We will continue to stress the unique circumstance that is the Northern Ireland situation, having full regard to the fact, as has been acknowledged and is indisputable, that the majority of people in Northern Ireland voted to remain within the European Union. That, of course, will continue to be a central feature of our engagement.

It is fair to say that the Executive in Northern Ireland has a considerable amount of work to do in order to advance the matter of the engagement on what is an issue of huge strategic importance for the people.