Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On the issue of the Brexit Stakeholders Forum, dialogue and joined-up thinking were mentioned. Such an approach is fundamental and I hope that all those involved, including Government representatives, deliver on that. There must be a renewed focus on this, and the forum must morph into a true stakeholder forum, as has been asserted here today. As we have seen with NPHET, this forum or any future forums concerning this issue must engage with senior industry leaders. They are not currently being included and yet they possess the most singular expertise in developing new business and markets, and understanding the strategic plans that need to be put in place to mitigate what Brexit brings with it. There also needs to be a real focus on community enterprise development. Mr. O'Hara spoke about issues in the Border region and they are issues that affect those in my constituency also. We have good community enterprise centres around the country that are largely being funded privately, and there is much good thinking and many capable people in those centres. We must try to build funding inside out, which is unfortunate. We need to get people together, and in order to do that, we must support them.

On the Border issue, the agrifood sector is a pivotal business area in the south east, and it is very exposed to Brexit. Like others, I am very concerned about this, but I think the future is going to be about green and sustainable agribusiness, agritourism and tourism potential. Therefore, I hope that any Brexit Stakeholders Forum will look beyond Brexit, because we all must look beyond it. Brexit is a fact and it has already happened, other than the mechanics of how the UK will exit the EU. We need to look forward. I ask the witnesses to keep my points in mind.