Government ‘will not let UK drag Ireland out of single market’

The Government will not allow a situation where the UK, in leaving the EU without a deal, "drags Ireland out of the single market", Tánaiste Simon Coveney has said.

Mr Coveney said there is no plan for a no-deal Brexit, but the Government was working one out with the EU which he believed would be in place before that situation arose.

Amid pressure on the Government over its planning for a potential no-deal Brexit, Mr Coveney told Fianna Fail deputy leader Dara Calleary that "the Government's isn't hiding anything".

The Government had always said there would be “difficult conversations” with the European Commission, Mr Coveney said, because it has a dual mandate to deal with the challenge of not having border infrastructure with Northern Ireland in the event of a no-deal and also protecting the EU single market, of which the State is a member.

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However, the Tánaiste insisted the Government “is not going to allow a situation where the UK, leaving the EU without a deal, drags Ireland out of the single market”.

He said the checking of goods leaving Ireland at continental Europe ports “is not a runner” as it would “cause significant damage to our economy and we will not allow it”. He said the Government’s plans “are not based on hope but intended to deal with all eventualities”.

The UK had also given commitments to the special status of the Border in the event of no-deal departure from the EU, Mr Coveney said.

However, he said it was a challenge not to have border infrastructure while at the same time “ensuring that we can reassure other EU countries that Ireland is protecting the security of the single market that we all share”.

Mr Coveney said he would be bringing papers to Cabinet on Tuesday when it meets at 8.30pm following Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s return from his meeting in Paris with French president Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Calleary said there was an onus on the Government to begin communicating its plan for a no-deal. Practical arrangements needed to be made public as soon as possible, he said.

He said German chancellor Angela Merkel asked a few weeks ago if Ireland was prepared for a hard Brexit and urged officials to get a move on.

Mr Calleary pointed to Mr Varadkar’s comments that there were no communications or documents about plans for a no-deal Brexit to share with the Dáil. He asked if that was still the case.

The Mayo TD, standing in for his party leader for Leaders’ Questions, said the Taoiseach was discussing the possibility of no-deal with the French president and later this week with Ms Merkel but it is “not being discussed in this House”.

He said with the indecision in Westminster they might end up with no deal, a situation nobody wanted.

Mr Coveney said “the Government’s isn’t hiding anything. There isn’t a plan. We are working out a plan with the European Commission.”

He said the Government was prepared in “many ways” and it was going through the arrangements in various sectors on quite a regular basis.