Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join colleagues in welcoming Mr. Durkan. The United Kingdom is apparently embarking on a process whose conclusion is uncertain, but this exercise is helpful in assisting the committee to a greater understanding of the issues. Together with the other briefings we have been given, Mr. Durkan's contribution is invaluable.

The first question I intended to ask has already been answered and I have only one other question for the witness. Mr. Durkan referred to the risks of an EU exit being quite high for the United Kingdom economy in the short to medium term. I am not an economist and must defer to his vast experience and expertise in these matters. Will he elaborate on how, in the normal run of things and given the bigger picture, the UK economy would suffer? I will refrain from asking about the impact on the Irish economy, because we will just have to wait and see how the dice falls in that respect.