Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is being discussed far and wide now. I have had various discussions, but they have been informal and without any policy status. Let us suppose goods come in to Dublin Port, they follow the colour coding I have described and there is a physical check on 2% at Dublin Port. Then let us suppose the lorry drives north and crosses the Border. Effectively, the technical people have said to me - again, this is not a policy position – that all we have to do is put in place a camera to get the licence plate on the Border to verify that pre-clearance took place in Dublin Port. In other words, there would be no necessity for a Border check.

I understand that with regard to the movement of people, the UK authorities are not doing checks at the point of entry. They are doing checks internally, including by matching PRSI numbers and revenue numbers and so on. That is how they are doing follow-up work.

The process has moved on. It would be wrong to think of fixed borders as we knew them. Anyway, it will all depend on where the negotiations land. The UK negotiating position is for a reciprocal free trade agreement between the UK and Europe. If there is a reciprocal free trade agreement, there will be no tariffs of any kind. We would only have the normal checks for illicit materials.