Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the presentations. I am particularly taken with what Mr. Drennan and Mr. Gavin said because, quite frankly, they have first-hand experience through their individual operations and the network of hauliers. While I accept that Revenue and the State generally have done everything they can to assist trade and business, it is often the case that those who will encounter the greatest difficulty are the hauliers on the ground because the practical manifestation of the rules that govern are theirs to try to address. They will be coming under pressure from their customers, often with a lack of full appreciation of what is involved in the minutiae of crossing these frontiers. I am surprised to some extent because Revenue has been a leading light in terms of developing its online systems. For quite some time, the Revenue online service, ROS, has been rightly held up for all sorts of awards and credits for being way ahead of other Departments and indeed countries. It is to be hoped Revenue will be able to find a resolution through some technological advancements or investment in that area that will provide the kind of solutions. In particular, Mr. Gavin has pointed out some of this work can be done or some of their problems can resolved through better use of technology. I would be interested in seeing how that might advance. Will Mr. Harrahill tell me where he sees some solutions that might come forward in that regard?

I know Mr. Harrahill indicated that Revenue met different players. Perhaps as an outcome of this meeting, at a minimum, Revenue and the Irish Road Haulage Association would get together in some formal way in the next week or so to try to thrash out, insofar as they can, some of these problems and communicate back to the committee because there is no point in us all going away today when the problem remains. Revenue might write back to the committee to give us some information about what might happen at such a meeting and if issues have been resolved.

A number of hauliers have contacted me regarding goods transiting through the UK. Switzerland was given to me as an example. So many tonnes of goods go through Switzerland. There are certain green routes based on the fact that the goods are not for distribution or breakage within Switzerland and it is just passage through. Can the same kind of solution or system be found to allow goods to make it to Ireland effectively through the UK system?