Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ireland's Ancient East. The point is that everything is wild until one reaches the Border or everything is ancient until one reaches the Border. While I acknowledge that the Minister will state it is political and there are cross-Border institutions, where is the push? Where is the impetus and where is the sense of the Irish Government, which is the Government on which one depends, pushing beyond that Border and pushing everything possible from beyond that Border? Where is the push coming in respect of enterprise? While the Minister has commented on the potential of a BrExit, will he reflect on this again, if he does not mind? What work is under way in his Department both in respect of the consequences of that and from an all-island enterprise point of view?

As for the LEOs, are there milestones in their service contracts with the Department about cross-Border co-operation or does the Minister leave it to them to try to do it as it may fit? In general, I refer to enterprise infrastructure. For instance, there is the ongoing issue about the credit guarantee scheme and its extension to cover banks that are exiting the market. This is a cross-Border issue because one of the banks causing the trouble has its headquarters across the Border. What kind of work is under way there? I get a sense that the Border is limiting the Government in a way that no Irish Government should be limited.