Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 February 2014
48. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if in the interests of prudence, his Department has prepared or is preparing a report on the consequences for Ireland in the event that Scotland votes to become an independent country in September 2014; and if no such report has or is being prepared, his views on having such a report prepared in the near future. [10074/14]
View answerThe people of Scotland will vote in a referendum on 18 September 2014 on the question: ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’ Ireland is entirely neutral in the debate, on the basis that the question is one for the people of Scotland to decide. That being said, the issues arising in the Scottish debate are of major importance, and have potentially significant direct and indirect implications for Ireland. Our silence therefore should not be mistaken for indifference. Our Embassy in London and Consulate General in Edinburgh, in communication with the relevant stakeholders across the whole of Government, are monitoring the debate very closely and assessing the issues arising on an ongoing basis.
