Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not think that there is any problem in terms of relationships between business groups such as the chamber and others. People will go about their daily business. The real problem is what the regulations, rules and laws will say on entry into the EU. I do not say this with disrespect to those doing the negotiations but my continuing difficulty is that we need to have an ongoing and strong input. We are talking about members of the European Commission who are not representing member states as such but negotiating as commission members. The sort of problems that we have just spoken about are national issues for us and they are not just selfish national issues but issues that are imposing an obligation on us without people thinking through how they will support us as the only land entry into Europe. That is very much the issue. All the other stuff is grand but, whether we like it or not, we will be the only land entry into Europe and that imposes huge obligations on us and in relation to Northern Ireland and so on. That type of input seems to be missing. We hear all sorts of other things being debated and discussed but we need to have very close contact with those who are negotiating to keep these issues upfront. That is the point I was trying to get across.