Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

There are a lot of questions for Mr. Fagan there. The notion of tariff-free services has occurred to me. To take something close to home, if a lawyer in Ireland provides services to a British firm and sends a bill, in what sense would there be tariffs on the payment made? It might be a lawyer's or a financial adviser's bill. I find it difficult to grasp how, apart from the lawyer paying VAT in Ireland or Britain, tariffs on services could operate very well.

Given that the Central Bank takes the view that Ireland is the most affected country and that the effects could be quite serious by sector, can Mr. Fagan say something about special arrangements for Ireland? The former Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, mentioned the possibility of a common trading area as well as a common travel area. In that context, I presume the disengagement of the UK from the EU will involve a multi-annual period. Has any consideration been given - by the Central Bank or any of the State agencies with which it operates - to different phasing arrangements for Ireland? In other words, if tariffs were to come in, could they come in at a slower rate for Ireland or over a more extended period?