Ms Michelle Gildernew:

Mr. Gough said a lot of the cross-Border business done by small businesses is high frequency and low value. There are millions of journeys across the Border at those crossings where a count is taken and that is without mentioning the hundreds where no count is made. Does Mr. Gough have a sense of the vulnerability of low-margin businesses to the impact of time delays by the carrying out of checks at the Border? The cost of waiting at the Border for a HGV is on average £1 per minute. If there is an additional wait of five minutes and the truck has to wait for a number of times a year, what will it cost? Are there businesses which will fold as a result of Brexit?

I have first-hand experience of the challenges that faced the agrifood sector when the whole island was in the European Union and we were operating across the Border we have had for the past decade. I know how difficult Brexit is likely to be for the sector. Mr. Gough referred to a lack of skills and available labour. Does he have any ballpark statistics on the number of workers we are short in the agrifood industry or the engineering sector? From personal experience in Tyrone, I know that not one engineering firm has a full cohort of staff. Everyone is crying out for workers, which is impacting the ability of firms to take on and fill orders.