Mr. Gerry Harrahill:

I will step back for a minute, if I may. If we take existing third-country traffic at 100%, 92% is subject to customs formalities and goes through without any physical interruption by customs. Some 6% is subject to some form of documentary check and 2% is subject to a physical examination. Post Brexit, this 100% is of a much greater volume. Something close to 92% will meet all the requirements and will not require any physical interruption or intervention by Customs and Excise. Some will require documentary checks and some physical checks. A factor that contributes to the level of checking required is the presence of agricultural or food products.

In an east-west context with the UK outside of the EU, it has the potential to contribute a higher level of cases to flag, either for a documentary check or a physical examination. We have said and are saying to businesses that if they approach this on exactly the same basis they approach their third country traffic today, the vast bulk of it should go through. In order to minimise the potential for goods to be subject to a check in Dublin Port businesses need to look at the opportunities for some of these simplifications. Part of this would mean that, rather than the end point and the goods entering into what we call free circulation once they leave Dublin Port, they would go to an approved premises, which very often is where the business is run, and it would be at that point that we would carry out the physical or documentary check associated with that.