Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank both witnesses for the presentation, which is very similar to the report submitted to the Department. It would be helpful if we could have the Powerpoint presentation as it would make our follow-up work a lot easier. The movement of goods has been an issue since long before the referendum because people identified the need to focus on Ireland's direct shipping links with our biggest market that is continental Europe. A move away from the land bridge is something that would have always needed to worked on even if there was no Brexit.

I have questions on issues that were touched on in the presentation but I believe that we should use this time to go into a bit more detail about the issues that small business owners all over the country have conveyed to us as their public representatives. The delegation has spoken at length that there is sustainable capacity. Is there really roll-on, roll-off capacity? I was taken aback by the focus on the idea that space has been freed up due to the decline in the number of tourists. Is it sustainable to use that space? Please God, the tourism industry will be back and I know lots of people from the Continent who look forward to returning or coming to Ireland for cycling holidays or whatever. I would like the witnesses to allay my concern.

When we talk about the importance of roll-on, roll-off services and shipping to the Continent, it is not just about the destination ports. It is the ability to travel much further inland into new markets, particularly when one thinks of the resources that the Government has put into opening a new Enterprise Ireland office in Frankfurt in Germany. It would great to have new economic chanceries in all of the EU 27 member states and to really tap into the potential of the continental market but that requires long distance haulage to get goods to market in those places, which is an issue that is tied to the land bridge.

Mr. Lacey mentioned in his report, or perhaps I have seen it elsewhere, that there is the potential for delays to last up to 12 hours. To what extent has the IMDO engaged with the UK port operators such as in Holyhead, Folkestone and Dover? I ask because last weekend worrying scenes of trial runs were broadcast on television, etc., of Kent and other ports in the UK. Although the trial runs were the result of the impact of work done in France as opposed to the UK, there have been numerous media reports that the UK is not Brexit ready, particularly when it comes to exports and imports. The gridlock experienced at Dover, Folkestone or Portsmouth could be far worse than what has been speculated with Brexit. What is the knock-on effect on Irish exporters that are trying to get their goods to market, some of which must drop their goods at British destinations before continuing into continental Europe?

Mr. Lacey has mentioned the outreach that has been done with exporters in terms of encouraging awareness. I am concerned about the time pressure on fresh food exporters and seafood producers in Galway, for example, who only have a set period of time to get their goods to the fish markets in northern France. There is potential for a 12-hour delay with the land bridge and we know how long direct ferries take to sail across to France. What supports have the industry and the IMDO put in place to allay the fears of our exporters? It is all well and good talking about their need to diversify and consider other options but if either the land bridge or direct shipping is not the answer, then what is left for the exporters? Anyone who works in the fresh food, time sensitive area must be accommodated.

An awareness campaign was mentioned but I do not feel that, which is not a slight on Mr. Lacey. I have spoken to a lot of industry groups, chambers of commerce, exporters and SMEs and they are up against it in terms of dealing with the pandemic. We have often talked about Brexit preparedness in general terms. It is very hard for a small company that produces a niche product and perhaps employs three employees to also have a Brexit officer when its managing director is also the head of sales, head of human resources and maybe even the chief cleaner at times. They may think that the land bridge is fine at the moment but we all know that the situation will change drastically on 1 January. We all hope that there is a deal in the next day or two but the situation will change drastically, which has permeated the real discussion. How can we convince the people who are not in a position to appoint a Brexit preparedness officer that there is merit in direct shipping to their markets? I know that any exporter will tell anyone that their biggest issue is assuring their client and customer that a product will arrive on time. That level of reliability and guarantee is so important. When one considers all of the things like cost, price and standards it is the guarantee and level of importance that matter. The campaign for direct shipping needs to be backed up and tripled because Brexit is like a lot of things in that it is only until one experiences it that one realises all of the problems. We cannot ease off on getting prepared come the new year.