I wish first to reaffirm our commitment to trying to support business across the island and making sure that we mitigate and minimise the impacts of Brexit and Covid. These events are all coming at a very inopportune time. We have always tried to engage with the representative groups of the sectors most impacted in Northern Ireland when it came to our preparedness, but obviously there is a limit to what we can do in Northern Ireland and that is why it is so important that the Executive is up and running. I refer al…

It all very much depends on what happens and whether there are tariffs. We know the UK is leaving the customs union so there will obviously be changes there. That is why we have tried to emphasise to business that irrespective of what outcome there is, there are going to be changes and businesses need to be prepared. On Mercosur, we are going through a process. Each individual member state is looking at how it could impact not just the agricultural sector but many other sectors. We will, of course, take into accoun…

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions and questions. Very clearly, Brexit remains a key issue for this Government and House, even as we face the challenges of Covid-19. In responding to Brexit, the Government has faced this tough task with welcome support from this House on priority issues that have been at the centre of our strategy. The solidarity and support shown by all sides in the debate here at home, not just today but up to this point, have been important in addressing our Brexit challenges. Alth…

A number of issues were raised. I have a final statement which I will read after the questions.

Unfortunately, I am not able to give the Deputy a detailed response on that. Overall, the judgment of the court is primarily a matter for consideration by the German Government, the Bundestag and the Deutsche Bundesbank. Obviously, the institutions will have to respond to it and we will, perhaps, be able to discuss it in further detail when they do. I understand that other member states will also make a statement or a judgment on it and we will be one of those. I do not have further detail other than that.

Much of that question is for the Minister for Finance and I do not have the level of detail for the Deputy. Whether it is at a national level or throughout the EU we are trying to ensure, through the EU funds being provided, that we provide cheap funding or support to our citizens and to our businesses. The details on the three safety nets that have been set out are still being worked through. In response to an initial question, we will be on target to see that in the first week in June. I refer to how we will acce…

I cannot be confident about anything at the moment because it is still under consideration. We have consistently said - and the Taoiseach repeated it at the European Council last week - that Ireland is willing to pay more when it comes to the next MFF. We said this before the Covid-19 virus hit. Now more than ever it is crucial given the additional challenges we are facing. What has also been highlighted is that now more than ever we need to protect our more traditional policies, but as I have said previously, thes…

My understanding is that all proposals are being looked at, including the Spanish proposal. It is something our finance ministers are looking at. The recovery fund was to be outlined today but that has been postponed, perhaps until next week. As the Taoiseach said earlier, we support putting a mechanism in place, whether it is a mixture of loans or of grants, that is timely, that will reach people when they need it most, that is targeted, but also that is temporary because we hope we will come out of this crisis as…

On the Deputy's general comment, while everyone accepts that the initial EU response was not as quick as we would have liked, one of the challenges in responding to Covid-19 is that we are facing a health crisis. What happens in our health system is different from that of Germany, France or Greece. It is a national competency, and trying to respond collectively to the crisis was difficult. While we fell down in certain areas, we have tried in the initial stages - whether through the relaxation of state aid rules, t…

I refer to my earlier response that this is still our position. Our view is that now more than ever we have additional areas of concern we need to respond to. Our initial view was always that, while the EU is getting smaller, it should not have a smaller budget because our challenges are expanding. The coronavirus has added to that so our view remains the same. We should increase our overall budget. We have seen how we have benefited from our membership of the EU in the funding we have received back. We have also s…

The initial response to the overall package was disappointing in that our farming community expected more but this is only an initial response. The dairy sector, in particular, was welcoming and responsive to this support. What we have done, particularly the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, is to lead the charge in a response to the Commissioner to seek additional support not only for our dairy sector but, in particular, for the beef sector, where we feel that kind of support was not ini…

I am not sure about the percentage of our overall spend but it is minuscule. In particular, if one looks at our membership PESCO, we are involved in programmes such as maritime surveillance and peacekeeping. We are not in any way moving towards, as is often suggested, an EU army. When one looks at our triple lock system, our neutrality, in the same way as for other member states which have joined PESCO, will not and cannot be impacted or changed without the wish of Irish citizens. A vote would obviously be required…

I thank the Minister for the work that her, her team and her Department are doing. A huge amount of support has been provided to the business community and employees from the State. What people want to know next is how can their business get going again and how can they start. Obviously, we know it will not be a matter of flicking on a switch and that it will be gradual and that businesses will not be operating at full capacity when they do start. We need to take a number of issues into consideration. I know some o…

I will be as brief as possible, if I may. As I did not have an opportunity earlier, I will take this time to thank all of our front-line workers who are fighting Covid-19. I thank our healthcare workers, the workers in supermarkets and other essential shops that are open, our gardaí and members of the Defence Forces and, in particular, the farmers who are producing the food in our supermarkets that we are now buying and which many of us are probably cooking at home for the first time in a long time. Many could be f…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. I dtús báire ba mhaith lion Seachtain na Gaeilge shona a ghuí ar gach duine. Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí ar fad as ucht a gceisteanna. Is iomaí ábhar ata luaite acu agus déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall iad ar fad a fhreagairt. B'fhéidir go dtosóidh mé leis na ceisteanna maidir leis an gCreat Airgeadais Il-bhliantúil, an MFF, given the fact that this is what the European Council and the overall discussion today is about. I will start by wishing everyone here a happy Seachtain…

The Tánaiste touched on a lot of this but I will reiterate what he said. I share Deputy Crowe's concerns and the concerns that have been expressed by most Deputies who have spoken. It was not outlined in the Taoiseach's speech because it was not an item on the agenda but that is why the Tánaiste in particular wanted to raise this issue. He has consistently showed solidarity and called for a de-escalation of the conflict in Syria, in particular in recent weeks given the fact that we have seen more than 1 million peo…

I thank Members from across the House for their contributions. The cross-cutting nature of the MFF means that it impacts on a wide range of policy areas and political priorities, not just for member states across the Union but also for parties and groupings in this House. As the Taoiseach has noted, there is further work to be done to finalise the MFF package. There remain differences between those member states favouring a smaller budget, and those arguing for a larger budget. There are also differing views on how…