On the day that is in it, let me return to Brexit and the indicative timetable. Does the Taoiseach expect that after March of next year, as the long-term relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union is worked out, there will need to be some bilateral treaties between Ireland and the United Kingdom only - for example, in respect of a common travel area, in respect of which some academics have said the legal basis is perhaps very weak? Will there need to be bilateral relationships given our very close economic and social relationships with the United Kingdom, particularly the part of our own country that is still in the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom?

There may need to be. What we would like to do first is resolve the EU–UK relationship and have an EU–UK treaty on the future economic and security relationships. If individual countries need bilateral agreements that do not conflict with that, they may well be necessary.

With regard to the common travel area, it is true that there is no single piece of paper that states what the common travel area is. It is interwoven with many items of legislation, conventions and protocols involving Britain and Ireland. I can say for certain that both the Irish and UK Governments want to keep the common travel area in place. Our European partners are happy for us to do that, accepting that this is an arrangement between the United Kingdom and Ireland that is unique and predates our membership of the European Union.