Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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17. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions he has had with members of the UK Government regarding the UK's continued membership of the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44994/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for his question, which relates to a hugely significant issue for Ireland.

The UK's continued membership of the European Union is clearly of great importance to us. Amongst all the EU member States, the UK is our biggest trading partner; it is a key ally on a range of policy issues at the negotiating table in Brussels; and it is, overall, the country with which we have the most in common.

That is why the Government's position on this matter is clear: we want to see the UK remain a full and integral member of the Union. This is very much in our national interest. It is in the interests too of our bilateral relationship with Britain, which benefits from our joint membership, especially in relation to Northern Ireland. And it is also in the interests of the EU as a whole: I believe, and I know that many other partners believe, that the Union is far stronger with the UK at the centre.

I am of course fully respectful of and sensitive to the internal democratic process in Britain. However, given the issues at stake for Ireland, I am following developments very closely. Deputies may be aware that I participated in an event at the European Council on Foreign Relations in London on 14 November, where I delivered a speech on the theme of "Ireland, Britain and Europe". This was an important opportunity to spell out, in a constructive way, our fundamental approach to the UK-EU question. It also allowed me to emphasise to a mainly British audience how much we value the UK's presence in the EU and our continuing mutual cooperation within it.

This issue is very much to the fore in discussions with my counterparts across the EU and there are of course regular contacts at official and diplomatic level with the UK, both here and in London. I also recently had the opportunity of speaking in Brussels with UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, and we had a brief exchange on the subject. I intend to continue to play a constructive role on this matter in the time ahead.