Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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447. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a cross-Border group will be set up to prepare for a possible British exit from the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40016/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Government is very much aware of the key significance of UK membership of the EU for our national interests. We know how important it is not just for our economy but also for the continuing strength of British-Irish relations and for peace and stability in Northern Ireland. It’s also our firm view that the EU is better and stronger as a whole on account of UK membership. That is why our main focus remains on doing all we can to ensure that the UK remains part of the Union, rather than planning for their departure.

At the same time, the Government fully recognises that it must be prepared for all scenarios and we are already in regular contact with a wide range of stakeholders, both North and South of the border and across the UK. This should help identify the many different issues that could arise, including with regard to Northern Ireland.

Further work is also being undertaken across other Government Departments in this regard. The Department of the Taoiseach continues to coordinate cross-Governmental efforts in this area as we move forward with this work. This includes research that the Department of Finance has commissioned from the Economic and Social Research Institute on macro-economic links between the UK and Ireland in the context of EU membership.

My own Department, given its responsibility for both Foreign Affairs and Trade, is naturally heavily involved. My officials are engaging actively with counterparts across our own system, as well as within the Northern Irish and British administrations and further afield in other EU capitals.

A key aim for us is to ensure that stakeholders in Northern Ireland and across the UK understand why their EU membership matters as much as it does for Ireland. Most recently, on 26 November I joined the Northern Ireland Minister for Finance and Personnel, Ms. Arlene Foster MLA, in addressing a seminar in Belfast which was jointly organised by Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), the Institute for International and European Affairs (IIEA) and the Irish Association for Cultural, Economic and Social Relations. This provided a valuable opportunity to stimulate debate on this issue, raising awareness of the potential impacts for Northern Ireland.

I have also addressed influential audiences on this topic in Chatham House, London and most recently in Dublin at a Breakfast Seminar organised by the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce (BICC) and hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at Iveagh House.

At a political level, my recent meeting with Foreign Secretary Hammond in London on 23 November provided an opportunity to re-emphasise the importance of the UK’s continued membership of the EU. The Taoiseach has had similar exchanges with Prime Minister Cameron, most recently on 9 November. We have underlined our commitment to supporting the UK’s efforts to reach agreement at EU level on reforms that address the broad issues raised by Prime Minister Cameron in his letter of 10 November to European Council President Donald Tusk, while ensuring an outcome that is not only good for the UK, but good for Ireland and good for the EU as a whole.