Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Gaynor. I had the pleasure of meeting him for a few minutes in the foyer on the way in and I had met Mr. Moloney previously in the context of a local discussion. I join the Chairman in congratulating Mr. Gaynor on his incisive and deep presentation, which helps us to understand and make the case. I also welcome Councillor John McGahon to the House. I know he is passionate about these issues from my discussions with him and from working with him. Not only is he passionate, but his family down the years have given a lifetime of public service and Brexit is concerning for him.

Like Mr. Gaynor, I am a Border county resident, living in Cavan, and we have a similar set of concerns and worries. I accept they are particularly acute in Dundalk but there are worries across the Border region. A colleague from Waterford rightly said to me at lunch that this is a concern all over Ireland but it is probably most acutely felt in the area we come from. I am conversant with the 30,000 cross-Border journeys taken daily for school, work, health care, kinship and family events. It is a significant figure. Indeed, farmers have land and must source agricultural products on either side of the Border. A number of these journeys are undertaken by Cavan-Monaghan residents. I was not aware that 3,000 journeys are undertaken between Dundalk and Newry every day, which is hugely significant. A point that might be lost by many people who are not from that terrain is that people can cross the Border at four different points on that route. One could imagine what a nightmare a hard border would be if it had to be crossed eight times a day. It is difficult to contemplate.

There has been a good deal of optimism in the various statements of Prime Minister May and in the initial EU draft negotiating paper around the common travel area and a seamless border. The problems will arise in respect of trade, tariffs and customs duties. Mr. Gaynor said businesses would be affected by any halt in the flow of labour, trade and customers, with which I fully agree. If we were to return to a hard border, could he give us a few examples of how business would be adversely affected? An example could be a farmer where the processing plant is one side of the Border and the farm from which the produce is sourced is on the other. Will Mr. Gaynor elaborate on this issue? It is important that this be in the mix for the discussions on our final report. I would also like him to elaborate on how the currency issue is taking effect in practice. I would like a few practical examples of how businesses are affected. The former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, alluded to this in respect of the mushroom sector earlier. It does not stop at this industry, which is a highly labour intensive industry and has many casual workers. It provides an important supplement for many family incomes. It is not to be sneezed at on its own, but it does not stop there.

Senator Nash referred to a number of vehicles the Government could use but what practical, realistic assistance could be provided in the Dundalk-Louth area, which could be extended along the Border, to make a difference? It would behove us to highlight the practical steps that could be taken in the report and to pursue them if Mr. Gaynor identified them.

Dundalk has a good and large agricultural hinterland. Like our Chairman, I have had many pleasant sojourns in the town. I am betraying my age a little but I was a regular attendee at the Maytime Festival for a number of years and I never missed a night. It was a great event, which I always remember with great fondness. I suspect I will have Senator Paul Daly's support regarding the issue of customs duties being applied to agricultural products crossing the Border into the UK, but I wish to make a point on behalf of the people I represent. Margins are tight in the pig, poultry and dairy sectors and farmers need well run operations to survive but if customs duties are applied, many of the people from Dundalk's agricultural hinterland who travel into the shopping centres in the town and to socialise and do their business every day could lose their income. There will have to be a strategy over the next few budgets to insulate our farmers both in respect of tax measures and supports of various kinds. If a customs duty were to emerge from a trade agreement, and our aspiration is that would not be the case, we would have to consider refunding the duty to farmers to subsidise them in such a way that they could cope. I am sure Mr. Gaynor is conversant with farming because many of the people who come into this town are farmers. Does he agree that farmers are not in a position to take on customs duties and extra trouble at the Border on top of the tight margins they are on and that this is a serious matter for them?

I am disturbed that he is noticing the effect of Brexit in shops and in consumer confidence. Will he elaborate on that because that is worrying?

Will he tell us exactly about the impact of the currency on businesses apart from the celebrated case of the mushroom sector? I look forward to hearing Mr Gaynor's response. It is a privilege to have a fellow man from the Border counties to put our case.