Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

They will. It depends on the products they are importing. The ability to use the land bridge means that businesses that get customs clearance leaving Ireland when travelling via Dover to mainland Europe will not require further customs clearance. That will also be the case in respect of goods being transported in the opposite direction. The issues will arise in respect of products coming into Ireland that originate in the UK, rather than coming via the land bridge, which is really a bridge between Ireland and France. There will be customs issues for businesses importing or exporting product, depending on the tariffs involved, which have yet to be established. The single biggest issue will be in respect of small businesses. That is why I referred to local enterprise offices. There has been a big uptake in the number of businesses getting ready and getting their Revenue customs clearance documentation. We will eventually get to a situation whereby truck drivers and van drivers will have their customs clearance on their mobile phone and be able to wave it to clear customs. The biggest issue is in respect of small businesses. The Revenue and the Department are ready, but we believe small businesses are not fully ready. I am afraid that some of them will just wait and see what happens on the day. They may experience delays receiving products that would normally be delivered overnight. That is where the issue lies, rather than on the State side.