Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to be as upbeat as some in thinking it might not be a hard Brexit or that we will have some other version of it but it is hard to see that at present. I am concerned that we seem to be disjointed, though not politically because all the parties are pulling together.

It is more a question of our general approach. We have so many different Ministers. Brexit is being discussed at this committee and it was a hot topic at the agriculture committee last week as well. The Taoiseach has been leading on this, which is great, because he is the leader of the country. I am keen to hear the opinion of the deputation on the possibility of a dedicated Minister to deal with Brexit. I believe the idea has merit, even if it was by way of a dedicated Minister of State. It would show the seriousness of the situation and how seriously we are taking it. I fear that among different sections of responsibility, things could fall between the cracks. I am curious to hear the opinions of the deputation. What if we had a particular Minister focused on Brexit? The British side has a senior and junior Minister dealing with the matter. What if we had one point of contact instead of various Ministers dealing with their portfolios with perhaps some elements falling between the cracks?