Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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172. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide the documentation regarding the agreement he referred to with the British Government that there will be no return to the Border of the past; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8711/17]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has a strong and unequivocal position on our priorities for dealing with Brexit. These are minimising the impact on trade and the economy, protecting the Northern Ireland Peace Process, maintaining the Common Travel Area and influencing the future of the European Union.

As the Taoiseach has stated publicly, the Irish Government will oppose a hard border, argue for free movement on this island, seek EU funding for cross-border projects and protect the rights of EU citizens, whether from North or South.

As the Taoiseach has also stated, it is a matter of vital national interest for Ireland that we do not return to the days of a hard border, or indeed create a new one in the future; this is a political matter, not a legal or technical matter - it will have to be solved by political leadership and will require creativity, imagination and innovation. In all of our discussions with the UK Government we have emphasised the necessity of ensuring the continued free flow of trade on the island and the need to avoid a hard border and have made clear that any manifestation of a hard border would have very negative consequences.