-----although, as Deputies Joan Burton and Eamon Ryan said, the situation is unprecedented. Secretary of State Davis responded yesterday to questions in the House of Commons about the common travel area and what Brexit might mean for our citizens. He has proposed to write in detail about the preservation of these benefits, on which I agreed with the Prime Minister when I met her.
It was made very clear to me in Stormont by the SDLP that we had voted here in a referendum on Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution on the territorial claim to Northern Ireland and that, if and when Britain left the European Union in 2019, the negotiations - I referred to this issue at the Magill school - should cater for a situation where the people of Ireland, North and South, wished to see a united Ireland, in the same way as happened when East Germany was assimilated into West Germany. This is an issue that was raised specifically with me and it is something which should be part of the negotiations which should be far seeing enough if that were ever to transpire to be the case.
Brexit will reshape the relationship between the islands. When I spoke to Sinn Féin, obviously with the leader and the deputy First Minister, two issues were raised. One concerned an alternative strategy, while the other concerned special status. Whether they would be the same is a matter for discussion. We have a situation where we have a special status in Northern Ireland. It is the only peace process in the European Union that is supported by the Union. It will be the only land border in the European Union with the United Kingdom if and when it actually leaves the Union. On top of this, the process is embellished by the United States and the European Union with PEACE funds and INTERREG funds, through cross-Border activities, health and education co-operation. I point out to the House that letters of offer have issued in respect of INTERREG and PEACE funds and that 17 major projects will continue, as we expect, in the coming years with substantial moneys from the European Union. We want to see this special status, these special circumstances and particular benefits continuing. This is an issue we need to discuss in the context of whether it is the right strategy to follow. It should be, as it would be easier to do this than to try to develop something entirely new.
Deputy Micheál Martin referred to the North-South Ministerial Council. I agree that establishing it was a very good idea. The Deputy has been in attendance at meetings-----