Yesterday, we saw a new statistic released which showed exports from Northern Ireland to Great Britain have gone up by 13% in the last year, exports to this jurisdiction have gone up by 23% and exports to the rest of the European Union have gone up by 18%, which would give the impression that the protocol is working quite well. In this regard, I ask the Tánaiste what efforts are being made and will continue to be made in the new year to secure a deal between the European Union and Great Britain for the speedy, effective and consistent implementation of the protocol.

I thank Deputy Richmond for once again raising this very important issue. I agree the statistics that he articulated would indicate that the economy in Northern Ireland is outperforming other parts of the United Kingdom when it comes to trade. Perhaps that is linked to the advantages of the protocol, which give Northern Ireland access to the European Single Market but also give it access to the Great Britain market. Coming to an agreement on the protocol is a priority. I appreciate the political sensitivities around it and the opposition that is there from the unionist community in particular. We are very keen to work, through the European Union, with the UK Government to amend or modify the protocol so it can become acceptable to both communities, and all communities, in Northern Ireland, thus facilitating the re-establishment of the Assembly and Executive, which is long overdue.