Mr. Ian Talbot:

Deputy Breathnach used his few minutes very well and got in several questions. First, the thrust of our proposed budget measures is to keep the capital investment going. The capital investment has been clearly outlined. While we could debate which project should be in the capital plan, we are desperately crying out for investment around the country to make up for the ten-year gap we had during the recession and financial crisis. Our strong message is that no matter what happens we must keep the investment going and not have a lull. From that perspective, we feel there is very little financial implication of our budgetary thrust. We want to ensure we spend the money. In terms of what Deputy Breathnach said at the end of his contribution, that is a vitally important aspect of the Brexit debate as well, that we continue to ensure Ireland's ports, roads and airports, among other infrastructure, continue to facilitate the more complex trade that will arise.

We have a strong set of recommendations on sustainable and affordable housing. At a Chambers Ireland level we are seeking to come up with an overlay of the challenges facing the big cities and the growing cities under Project Ireland 2040, as well as towns such as Sligo, Athlone, Dundalk and Drogheda, which were allocated special status in the strategy. Deputy Breathnach will be very familiar with the work of colleagues such as Mr. Paddy Malone, Mr. Eddie Phelan and Ms Shona McManus in Chambers Ireland groups along the M1 corridor. We very much leave it to those local groups. Mr. Paddy Malone, for example, presented at previous discussions to the committee on the fantastic work his group is doing in those areas to grow the Drogheda-Dundalk corridor.

In terms of labour supply, Chambers Ireland has a very strong set of recommendations on an inclusive and future-focused workforce, including access to quality childcare and how we can encourage greater female participation in the workforce. That is one opportunity for us. We are very conscious that the shortage of housing creates difficulties in terms of people moving to jobs and also the opportunity to bring resources into the country to help us deal with the labour shortages.

I hesitate to come up with a view on an all-island economic zone. It is still developing. We are talking very closely to our counterparts in Border counties. It is great to have Mr. Doyle from Sligo and we speak regularly to our colleagues in Letterkenny, Dundalk, Drogheda, Cavan and Cootehill, among others, about the issues they face.

That is very challenging, so we are always as focused as we can be on the issues that may arise.

We have not looked at the detail of the impact of the proposed reintroduction of duty-free shopping from a national perspective. However, I would like to think that if we compare the level of trade activity Ireland undertakes with both the UK and the rest of the world in 2019 versus the level of economic activity and exporting it undertook in 1994, there are two very different numbers. I would hope it will not have as significant an impact as it might have had in 1993-1994, when I recall concern in the media that the loss of duty-free shopping would have a big impact.