Enda Kenny says Brexit talks unlikely to take place immediately

The European Council under its president Donald Tusk "and not any other institution or sub-group" will have control of the negotiation process with the UK on its exit from the EU, according to the Taoiseach.

In an apparent reference to the EU Commission and its call for negotiations on Britain's exit to start as soon as possible, Enda Kenny said "negotiations on withdrawal are unlikely to take place for some time yet".

He told the Dáil the Government’s contingency management arrangements will prioritise the key political areas of the Northern Ireland peace process, the common travel area and the border.

Opening a day-long debate, the Taoiseach said two sets of negotiations were likely to take place in parallel in the EU.

One set of withdrawal negotiations would deal with the phasing out of the UK’s budget payments, the completion of programmes the UK is involved in and the status of UK officials in the EU.

He said those negotiations would not address future relationship of the UK with the EU as a third country outside it.

Separate negotiations “will therefore take place” which will address UK trade with the EU.

Mr Kenny stressed that a “stable, prosperous and outward looking UK is clearly in our interests.

“The closer the UK is to us the better for all of us,” he said. “It is up to the UK to work out what it wants to achieve.”

Mr Kenny stressed that “the UK has not for now left the EU” and until it did so under article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, Britain remained in the EU under its existing rights.

The Taoiseach said “cross- party approach will be valuable in the time ahead”. Mr Kenny briefed opposition parties last week on the Government’s plans and he welcomed the constructive approach of parties to use their relationships in the EU to ensure Ireland’s position is understood.

“The stakes have always been higher for Ireland than for any other member state,” he stressed.

This was based on the economy and trading relationship between Ireland and the UK; Northern Ireland, the peace process and British-Irish relations; the common travel area and our common shared border; and the role of the UK within the EU and its strategic value to Ireland because of that.

Mr Kenny said he had strengthened his own department’s capacity to focus specifically on the bilateral relationship.

“Work in the Department focused key strategic and sectoral issues that could arise for Ireland.”

Mr Kenny said he fully understood why many people in Northern Ireland were deeply concerned that the North would be outside of a project that has delivered so much for political stability, reconciliation and economic prosperity.

"So we will continue to work urgently and intensively with both the British government and the Northern Ireland executive to see how collectively they could ensure the gains of the past two decades were fully protected in whatever post-Brexit arrangements were eventually negotiated.

Mr Kenny said references to the possibility that Ireland’s corporate tax rate would change were not valid. “Our corporate tax rate will not change,’’ he added. “We resisted every attempt on this in the past and will do so again in the future.’’