The internal battles of the Tory party are not a matter for this House, thank God, but the stability of the British Government and the British economy is. We are all aware of the potential economic and social impact of Brexit. The staggeringly high stakes do not appear to bother many in the British political system. Regarding yesterday's events, Shakespeare's description of "sound and fury, Signifying nothing" is the most apt description. The fundamental position remains the same as it was at this time yesterday, that barring some vague promises the backstop and the agreement as agreed remain. I ask the Tánaiste to endorse that again today.

In the face of the political chaos in Westminster our role must be to stand firm behind our deal and hope that our EU partners stand firm with us. However, in spite of that support we still risk being the meat in the Brexit sandwich, with collateral damage to our economy due to the straitjacket politics of Brexiteers. We must continue to work to ensure the backstop is upheld. We must ensure that we avoid a disastrous hard border extending across the island from Newry to Derry. In contrast to the slow car crash chaos in the UK we must provide clarity and certainty in this country. However, instead of providing that clarity and certainty the Government continues to delay and prevaricate in publishing its plans for the case of a no-deal Brexit. The protracted internal politics in the UK means a no-deal Brexit is moving closer every day. As of today, 29 March 2019 is a hard deal, cliff edge deadline.

Even amidst the chaos of politics in the UK that country has produced detailed plans to address the prospect of a hard Brexit. The UK has more than 100 plans that are constantly being refined and updated. The EU Commission has published 70 updated plans. The Irish Government has none. How many plans has the Government commissioned? When will it publish the detailed no-deal plans so all our citizens can buy into them and understand the consequences of a no-deal Brexit on their daily lives? Can the Tánaiste give a specific date for the plans to be published? Finally, is the Tánaiste concerned that by delaying the publication of those plans the Government will undermine their ultimate effectiveness in terms of preparing the country and, more importantly, the people for what may lie ahead?

I thank the Deputy for observing the time limit.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue because we will be returning to it repeatedly in the coming weeks and months. First, a European Council meeting is taking place today and tomorrow in which there will be a genuine effort by EU leaders and institutions to respond to the request of the British Prime Minister for more reassurance and clarity regarding the backstop, which has been the focus of so much political attention in Westminster in recent days. However, that cannot happen in a way that undermines the purpose of the backstop or its implementation. Nobody has been asked by the British Prime Minister to change the wording of the withdrawal agreement and nobody is talking about that. What is being considered seriously now is how a political declaration can be put together that is real and provides reassurance for the many in Westminster who need it that the backstop represents no threat to them or the United Kingdom and instead is about providing reassurance on the island of Ireland, consistent with the obligations of the British and Irish Governments in the context of protecting the Good Friday Agreement, that under no circumstances in the future will border infrastructure re-emerge between the two jurisdictions on this island as a result of Brexit.

With regard to contingency, the Deputy knows there has been and continues to be a huge amount of work in preparation for all contingencies. To give an example of some of the work we are doing with the European Commission there have been sectoral seminars since 15 November in which all 27 countries are working together with the European Commission. The seminar on 15 November was on financial services and on 27 November it was on citizens and social security co-ordination. Also on 27 November it was on professional qualifications, intellectual property, company law and consumer protection. On 29 November it was on air transportation along with other modes of transport such as road, rail and maritime issues. On 4 December there was a meeting on Irish specific issues with the Commission. On 6 December there was a focus on sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, requirements, tariff rate quotas, customs and import and export licensing. On 12 December the focus was on industrial goods including pharmaceuticals and chemicals. On 20 December there will be a sectoral seminar on policing, judicial co-operation and other security matters. On 10 January next it will be on fisheries, climate, environment and energy.

Let me reassure the public-----

That is a lot of seminars.

Yes. This is part of a process of preparation that the Government, other member states and the European Commission are undertaking, as well as the preparation we are putting in place domestically. I will be happy to come back to that.

That is pathetic. It is the Andrex puppy response. It is soft and fluffy but has nothing to do with what the Government is supposed to be doing here. Sectoral seminars will not convey to people the impact on their lives. The Tánaiste said there was a sectoral seminar on pharmaceuticals. How will he convey to people the difficulty there might be in accessing pharmaceuticals that come through the UK with a sectoral seminar on access? How will our airplanes fly on 29 March next if it is a hard Brexit and they must fly through British airspace? Will the Government wake up and start engaging with people in the way previous Governments engaged with people on the euro changeover and Y2K, whereby people had an understanding and a capacity to prepare their daily lives and their businesses for the challenges that lay ahead? Sectoral seminars for all they are worth for those who attend them will not make a difference or bring an awareness to people of what is coming down the tracks. The British Government is preparing its people with 100 plans, the Commission has 70 plans ready and the Government has sectoral seminars. That is a great deal of comfort.

I am surprised at the Deputy's response. It clearly shows he does not know what he is talking about.

The love-in did not last long.

The point of sectoral seminars is that, as we have said on many occasions, we are working together with the European Commission, which has published 70 papers on behalf of all member states of the European Union. The member states are working together in areas of EU competence linked to Brexit. That is how this works.

With regard to the areas where we must put domestic preparation in place, Fianna Fáil and other political parties have been briefed in detail on this through the stakeholders' group and in any other briefing sessions that have been requested.

We have explained what we are doing in respect of ports, airports and other sectors.

Explain it to the people.

We have been doing that with the people. I have been to Brexpo events in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Letterkenny, Monaghan and Dublin and, with respect, I did not see too many Fianna Fáil faces there.

With Fine Gael candidates.

So we have been-----

We are going to move on.

We did not see an invite.

Fine Gael used them to-----

Did you go Mattie?

That is not true Mattie-----

I call Deputy Pearse Doherty.

We did not-----

What about Tipperary?

Deputies can have their bilaterals elsewhere, but not here.

Perhaps if I could say that next week-----

Tánaiste, I am implementing Standing Orders-----

Next week we will publish a document on contingency. We will bring it to the stakeholders group, which is meeting on Thursday and we will publish it after that meeting. I will happily provide briefings in advance of that stakeholders meeting for political parties, if they want that.

What about the legislation?

I call Deputy Pearse Doherty. We must have some order with regard to time.