Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I had to listen to the Senator all day yesterday. Give me a chance today.

The fact remains that in order to avoid a hardening of the Border and to protect the rights of the Irish and EU citizens in the North, the island of Ireland must remain in the customs union and the Single Market and must remain part of the EU human rights framework. Theresa May has to explain in detail how her proposals will achieve that. She talks about honouring the letter and spirit of the Belfast Agreement but we await the publication of the British Government's White Paper. Irish business exports equate to €26 billion right across the sectors, from agriculture and fisheries to manufacturing, food and beverage, motor industry, education and services, as well as health, energy, transport, tourism, social protection and pensions. We need certainty in all of these areas. Two years down the line, we need more than ambiguous comments on a soft Brexit. We certainly need the backstop agreed in principle and this needs to be enshrined in legal text.

I ask that the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Simon Coveney, would come to the House next week to debate the details of the White Paper that is due to be published tomorrow. In the run-in to the October EU meeting, it is vital we would have a summit in September. We must iron out all these issues because all the businesses and sectors that I mentioned need certainty to be able to plan their business. Many jobs across this island depend on it.