Mr. Eoin Gavin:

It is on the crux of that issue. I acknowledge that Ms O'Neill admitted that the French have a different system. I appeal to the committee and Revenue to look at the French system. The flow of traffic between the UK and the Common Market is now easier than the flow of traffic between Ireland the Common Market. That should not happen. The UK is still our biggest trading partner.

If anything is to come out of this meeting, I hope it will be that Revenue will look at the French system. It has admitted that the French system is different. I appeal to Revenue to look at and case test that system. My business and my customers' businesses have case tested it this week. We have a driver who loads in London every week and delivers in Brussels. I have not spoken to him in four days. We have a driver who loads in London and delivers in Shannon and my staff are on the telephone to him 24-7. There are five administrative steps to bring a load from London to Shannon. There is one administrative step to bring a load from London to Paris. I appeal to the Revenue not to reinvent the wheel but to look at the French system and see what technology France has used. It is all about technology.

That will link back to the role of the ferry companies. All they need to do is have the technology at the check-in. The ferry from Holyhead sails every four hours. The ferry from Dover to Calais sails every ten minutes. It is not about holding up traffic in a ferry port.