A DEAL on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union could be finalised by November 21, British Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has said.
Downing Street has so far said it is working to conclude a deal "as soon as possible", and hopes to do so during the autumn.
But Mr Raab told a cross-party committee of MPs that the end of negotiations, which have stretched on for 19 months, was now "firmly in sight".
The Republic's foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney said last night if a deal is to be done by late November there must be "movement" from Britain by next week.
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"If there is to be a breakthrough in November, we need the negotiating teams to find a way forward in the next week or so," he said.
Mr Coveney told RTÉ he met Mr Raab in London on Tuesday night.
The October summit of the European Council - long-billed as the "moment of truth" for Brexit negotiations - passed without a deal.
Leaders of the remaining 27 EU countries decided not to schedule a special summit for November unless chief negotiator Michel Barnier told them there had been "decisive" progress in talks.
But Mr Raab suggested that he expected a deal within the next three weeks and set a date for himself and negotiator Olly Robbins to appear before the House of Commons Exiting the EU Committee.
"I would be happy to give evidence to the committee when a deal is finished and currently expect November 21 to be suitable," wrote Mr Raab.
The letter, released by the committee yesterday was dated October 24 and therefore does not reflect any breakthrough in the past few days.
Negotiations are deadlocked on the question of a "backstop" arrangement to guarantee that there will be no hard border.
Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted she will not accept an EU proposal which would establish a customs border between Northern Ireland and Britain. Brussels is resisting her plan to keep the whole UK temporarily in a customs union.
Mr Raab wrote: "Despite our differences, we are not far from an agreement on this issue. We agree on the principle of a UK-wide customs backstop. An agreement on the details of that backstop should be possible.
"Both sides agree that this backstop cannot provide for a permanent UK/EU relationship and are committed to a future relationship that works for the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland.
"We are open to talking about ways to achieve this and committed to continuing discussions in order to reach an agreement.
"The end is now firmly in sight and, while obstacles remain, it cannot be beyond us to navigate them. We have resolved most of the issues and we are building up together what the future relationship should look like and making real progress.
"We now need to acknowledge the progress that has been made and now work rapidly through the remaining issues and come to an agreement that works for both sides."
