I propose to take Questions Nos. 261 and 280 together.
The Withdrawal Agreement and its Protocols, including the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, together with the Trade and co-operation Agreement have established a wide-ranging framework to underpin and support EU-UK relations.
The governance structure of both of these agreements includes a range of committees, working groups, and other fora through which the EU-UK relationship can be built and developed – and issues of concern can be addressed and resolved. Ireland is playing, and will continue to play, a full and active part in these engagements.
With regard to the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland specifically – itself a special effort to resolve issues arising from Brexit for the island of Ireland – Ireland attends and contributes to the meetings of the Joint and Specialised Committees seeking to resolve the various outstanding issues.
Some have sought to characterise the Protocol as the problem. However it is clear that Brexit itself is the problem, and the Protocol is the agreed joint solution to address the challenges caused by Brexit for the island of Ireland. It is the result of a painstaking process which took more than four years. The Protocol prevents a hard border on this island, secures the gains of the Good Friday Agreement, and protects the integrity of the Single Market and Ireland’s place within it.
As a jointly negotiated agreement, the Protocol now needs to be jointly implemented in good faith. Earlier this month, the Joint Committee met to take stock of progress and to give consideration to the identified issues of concern. EU and UK officials continue to work intensively on developing solutions to these outstanding issues. Ireland supports and encourages these efforts.
Working together like this is the only path to sustainable solutions. Unilateral actions on sensitive issues in Northern Ireland never work. UK unilateral actions taken to date have damaged trust. In that regard I am encouraged by the decision of the UK Government to seek EU agreement on extending the grace period on chilled meat products.
We want to see positive momentum in the EU-UK relationship. We will continue to advocate so that the negative impact of Brexit on the people of Northern Ireland is minimised. This has always been the aim of the Protocol: to minimise the disruption which Brexit was inevitably going to cause for the island of Ireland.
The Government remains firmly engaged on Brexit-related political and economic developments. Ireland has played, and will continue to play a full and committed role on Brexit issues through the structures of the agreements, as well as through direct interactions with stakeholders and counterparts in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the European Union and beyond.
With regard to the trading and commercial implications of Brexit for Northern Ireland – it has always been clear that Brexit had the potential to be profoundly disruptive for Northern Ireland. We are listening carefully to genuine concerns and are committed to supporting engagement between the UK and EU to address outstanding issues appropriately within the framework of the Protocol. We are also highlighting the significant potential opportunities for Northern Ireland through the Protocol, with open access to the rest of the UK internal market and to the entire EU Single Market of more than 450 million people - a unique benefit for Northern Ireland in seeking more foreign direct investment.
There are also of course options to reduce the burden on businesses. An SPS agreement, even on a temporary basis, would offer a clear win and has broad support in Northern Ireland from right across society. This could reduce the level of checks on agri-food products travelling from GB to NI by up to 80% - this is a prize worth fighting for. People right across the political, business, retail, and farming sectors in Northern Ireland have made clear that they favour such an agreement. The EU Commission has said it could be put in place within weeks. Reaching such an agreement would be a simple, concrete and popular step, which we strongly support.
