Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Coming back to earlier comments, which I do not think anybody could contest, about there still being physical checks on the border between the EU and Turkey and about Switzerland and Norway, Turkey is in the customs union while Switzerland and Norway are in the Single Market. It was just said that it is going to be difficult to have an exit of the UK from the customs union and Single Market without necessitating checks along the Irish Border. In the context of the extreme lawlessness we are all aware of along the Border region, with what happened to Mr. Kevin Lunney of Quinn Industrial Holdings, QIH, does the ESRI have any sense of what actions are likely to be taken? I know many people in business, particularly in smaller businesses, which were referenced earlier, who are utterly confused. The ESRI pointed that out. Northern Ireland firms will be allowed to import goods from Great Britain without tariffs, as though they were still in the customs union and the Single Market, provided they can demonstrate that these goods will not pass into the EU. Given the particular characteristics of the Border region - myself and the Chairman have backgrounds in accounting - how is that going to happen? As I said, we have had an extraordinary education in recent months on what life along the Border can be like, and we all know there is significant smuggling in particular products. There has been an attempt to crack down on it. In terms of how successful it has been, it has probably reduced it somewhat. Has the ESRI offered advice to the Government on how this might be addressed, particularly in relation to smaller businesses? I refer to a pub operating 30 miles from the Border and the issue of supplies. There are a string of towns ten to 15 miles from the Border. Does the ESRI have any sense of how that might be done?