Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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901. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the outcome of the recent discussions he had with members of the UK Government pertaining to the Ireland-Northern Ireland protocol; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20826/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Last week I visited London for a programme of bilateral engagements focussing on a number of matters including recent developments in Northern Ireland, British-Irish and EU-UK relations, the implementation of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol, and foreign policy issues in the context of Ireland’s membership of the Security Council.

I held meetings with UK Government counterparts, including the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Dominic Raab, and a joint meeting with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, and Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, Lord Frost.

In regards to the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, I made clear that our shared goal must be full implementation of the Protocol, which was negotiated between the UK and the EU to address the challenges caused by Brexit on the island of Ireland. It is the agreed way to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement, to avoid a hard border and protect the EU Single Market.

The recent unilateral steps taken by the UK on the Protocol have been unhelpful and undermined trust among Member States and the European Commission. The UK must do everything in its power to repair trust via EU-UK channels. I welcome the technical level contacts between the EU and UK in recent weeks seeking to resolve the series of outstanding issues around implementation of the Protocol. I am encouraged by the commitment arising from last week's constructive meeting between Vice President Šefcovic and Lord Frost where they agreed to facilitate further, intensified discussions at technical level as well as their commitment to hold further joint engagement with Northern Irish stakeholders shortly.

I am aware of the concerns expressed by some in Northern Ireland in relation to certain elements of the Protocol. We will continue to engage and listen to stakeholders in NI. However, the best and only place to deal with these concerns are the structures established for that purpose - the Joint and Specialised Committees.

We have always been clear that we want the Protocol to work effectively for Northern Ireland, and we believe that it can help build prosperity for its people and businesses. Full access to both the UK internal market and the EU Single Market of 450 million people presents real opportunities for trade, for inward investment, and for jobs which would benefit all communities in Northern Ireland. Politicians and stakeholders from across these islands should be highlighting that and fully exploiting these opportunities.