Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Has the Minister's Department consulted with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine? Post Brexit, we could have controls and checkpoints for live exports of cattle, especially calves, that would delay movement. This will have repercussions for animal welfare on the boats and cattle trailers. What measures is the Minister taking to ensure we will have a free flow of exports of live cattle out of this country? Will the movement of livestock be given any preference or priority?

The Minister touched on the transport and travel network and upgraded infrastructure and said he would go to Europe and look for funding to upgrade some of the other ports in the country. Will the Department's section of Project Ireland 2040 in the national planning framework have to be reviewed? For example, Cork Port is dependent on the delivery of the N28 in Ringaskiddy and the Dunkettle interchange at the Jack Lynch tunnel. That project already six months behind. Should we not be bringing that forward and fast-tracking it if there will be extra activity through the port in Cork and to encourage more activity?

Access to infrastructure will play a primary part in the case of a no-deal Brexit and movement of transport would be in a different direction, as such. As opposed to going to Belfast or Louth, transport will be coming down towards Rosslare and Cork. Will the Minister and his Department have to go back and review their plans? Should work on the M20, in the western corridor between Cork and Limerick, be fast-tracked? Would some of the infrastructure and road networks have to be upgraded sooner at the expense of other projects? Will the Minister have to reprioritise the road network infrastructure development programme?