Dr. Kieran McQuinn:

The short answer is it certainly does not seem to be apparent that any such structures are there yet. Obviously, they are not in place. Whether they are being considered, much will depend on the outcome of the UK election and if the agreement goes ahead. Presumably at that stage, we will begin to see a lot more flesh on the bones in terms of how the arrangements will work out. Then one would expect to see a response from policymakers about how to assist and aid people to deal with the various different complexities. At this point in time, the agreement is by definition high-brow and high-level in nature, which is understandable as it is a political agreement devised by politicians. In respect of the practicalities, from a trade perspective, we will have to see the details before one can begin to think about what the appropriate response should be and how the Government should try to aid small traders, in particular, and businesses located along the Border. Clearly, it just goes back to the basic point that the imposition of a Border and a hard border introduces so many different frictions into people's trading activities. Ultimately these all bring about substantial costs for people.