Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 July 2016
134. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Taoiseach if he has arranged for a team to commence bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom regarding the fallout for Ireland of Brexit; if there is a team in the UK working on this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20835/16]
View answerIrish and British Officials met in Dublin on 30 June following a commitment that I and Prime Minister Cameron made to early bilateral engagement at senior official level on key issues arising in the context of the result of the UK's EU referendum.
This initial engagement allowed for consideration of the best approach to continuing to work together on agreed priority areas within the British-Irish relationship in the context of forthcoming negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
Priority issues discussed included:
- The Common Travel Area and borders and customs issue that might arise;
- Northern Ireland and North/South Issues;
- Bilateral security co-operation.
It was agreed that further detailed work on a number of identified aspects will be required in the coming weeks and months. These and other policy issues will be coordinated through mechanisms such as the Common Travel Area forum, the Good Friday Agreement and engagement between UK Permanent Secretaries and Irish Secretaries General established under the Joint Statement on Ireland-UK bilateral relations in 2012.
