Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I regret that I must leave very quickly after my contribution to go to another meeting. I am very interested in Dr. Cassidy's report. He spoke about growth in the economy, employment and real incomes but one of my great concerns is our dependence on the big software companies here. We have reached a point where these companies have to source accommodation for people they bring in from abroad and they have to compete with Irish salaries. Having spoken to some of the senior people in some of these companies I feel there is a real risk now that they will look elsewhere for cheaper accommodation and labour costs. Our labour costs compete internally rather than internationally. Dare I say there is some suggestion we are back in the bad old 1995-2000 days as companies have to bid for professionals. One senior executive told me that it would not take a whole lot to have the company move. Has the Central Bank considered that threat and its likely implications for the economy?

The Border has been a hobbyhorse of mine since the day after the referendum. Dr. Cassidy referred to the agrisector which I have always seen as part of our core economy. I cannot see how we can have an open Border.

I have never been able to see it. Nobody has ever explained to me how one can have an open border with a third country, in particular if there is a hard crash-out. I made the point previously that all we need is one carcass of beef to finish up in Berlin or Paris that is not true Irish beef or that has angel dust or something similar in it and our entire market in Europe, which accounts for approximately 60% of our beef market, would collapse. That is a serious concern.

Have the witnesses war-gamed the implications of the border issue? In my view, the suggestion that we will have checks at ports and use Dublin, Cork or Rosslare ports as points for checking customs places Ireland outside the European Union. If there are to be checks anywhere, they should be on the Border.

I am aware that some European companies that manufacture in Ireland and source component parts and raw materials through the UK are now being actively encouraged to look to suppliers in Europe. Have we looked at the manufacturing cost implications because it will all come down to costs in a post-Brexit world? Have we looked at the cost implications of shifting our purchasing to mainland Europe?

There has been talk of replacing the landbridge. I am now convinced that the landbridge notion will not work. Somebody suggested to me that the British might lay on one carriageway to Dover for Irish trucks and likewise for the return journey, but I cannot see that happening. There will be costs attached to using the seabridge option. For example, the journey by sea will be 36 hours rather than 18 hours. Has the Central Bank or any other body looked at the statistics on the time it will take to clear trucks? We are talking about tailbacks of 9 km in places. I would like to hear the statistics on that.

In fairness, the Government has put on a number of Brexit preparedness roadshows for SMEs. I was horrified and shocked to see at one of those meetings when companies were asked for a show of hands on who had a Brexit officer in place that only two hands went up in a packed room. Do the witnesses have any statistics on the position now? Have companies at last begun to realise that Brexit may very well come down the line?

In the context of inter-country partnerships within the EU, it is clear that our strongest ally is leaving so we may have to subdivide the European Union, as it were, and pick different partners for different topics. We might go to the Germans for finance and the French for agriculture and then pick some of the smaller countries to get a critical mass. Have the witnesses analysed which countries are most suited to which specific topics? I hope that is not too far outside their remit. I thank Mr. Cassidy, Ms Fitzgerald and their colleagues for their time.