Brexit Minister Steve Barclay is closely examining the plan, the report said.

He was examining the plan, evidently engrossed in his own ideas.

But with Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority still examining the plan - and other authorities still investigating - a solution is elusive.

Mr McCreevy says that this has been delayed because once the European Commission began examining the plan in depth, it found greater problems than anticipated.

After examining the plan for mine, and perceiving that it was very incorrect in many details, I took it and went immediately to the Duke.