Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of our first session is to discuss the impact of Brexit on haulage, freight, ports and ferry companies. On behalf of the committee, I particularly welcome Mr. Eugene Drennan, president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, who is with us here, as is Mr. David McArdle, treasurer of the association. Mr. Kieran O'Callaghan, CEO, Mr. Damien Regan, operations director, Mr. Brian Cahill, chief financial officer, Mr. John Cleary, head of information technology, and Mr. Brendan Wall, commercial director, from Cargo Logistics are appearing before us. We are also joined by Mr. Aidan Coffey, Irish route director, DFDS, and Mr. Christophe Mathieu, the chief executive of Brittany Ferries.

We very much welcome all the witnesses. I want to acknowledge, in particular, the trouble Mr. Aidan Coffey of DFDS and Mr. Christophe Mathieu of Brittany Ferries have taken to be here today.

We invited Irish Ferries and Stena Line but representatives of neither company were able to make it. We find that extremely disappointing because they are two of the principal ferry companies that operate cross-Channel. We ask that they appear before us early in the new year. I hope that we get that commitment because they are a key ingredient. It is hugely regrettable that they are not here today.