Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Professor Todd for the paper she presented. A report was published recently which discussed the knock-on economic effect on Ireland of a British exit from the EU. We are now talking about a lot of ifs, as the UK may decide to do certain things rather than actually leaving, and may go down a road of reduced involvement. Is there not then a reason for us now to start looking at the alternatives as regards, for instance, access to the European market, which has 500 million people? This is why I do not understand the recent economic report, which indicated we would lose out more than the UK would. If one takes the UK out of it, it goes down to 440 million or 430 million. Do we now need to start looking for alternatives and figuring out how we can benefit, presuming that England does water down its involvement in Europe? The economic report clearly indicates that Ireland has a great deal to lose as a result of the UK exit. What do we need to do to start planning for that, or is it the case that we should hold off and do nothing at all?