Mr. Colin McGrath:

There is quite a bit of interference on the line. Ms Sheerin can join me in answering questions, much to my relief.

As I said in my opening remarks, the threats to staff at Larne are absolutely deplorable and are to be roundly condemned by politicians of all shades. The leadership that can be shown by politicians is critical. As ever, and has been experienced right through the years here in the North, all politicians must be very careful about their communication. A communication or miscommunication from a politician could be considered as a heads-up for people to engage in certain behaviours within the community. We need a cool and calm approach to this.

In the context of the issues at Larne, Warrenpoint, Belfast and other ports, there are going be significant teething problems. The UK has exited a major institution that was a part of almost every element of its trade. The majority of the people in the North did not support Brexit. It was not our choice to leave the European Union. We want to remain part of the European Union but we are also pragmatic that at this exact moment in time, that is not the case. Of course we do not want to see trade stop between east and west. We understand that many businesses rely heavily upon the trade that moves from east to west, and therefore we must try to make that process as simple as possible. We also need to have a reality. It is interesting that many of those who are arguing about what is happening along the border in place in the Irish Sea are the people who were the proponents and supporters of Brexit. It is not the protocol that is causing these problems, it is Brexit. As we exit the European Union, there will be substantial problems somewhere and the easiest place for these to happen is in the Irish Sea. That is where they are happening. Yes, the first year will be difficult. I do not believe that in six month's time we will face many of the difficulties we are facing at the moment. There does need to be a thorough assessment. People need to determine what paperwork is necessary, if it is absolutely necessary, if it needs to be there and how the processes can be streamlined to be more effective and supportive of businesses.

I would say to those who have issued threats to the people working at the checks in Larne that if the staff are not there, then they will not be able to determine how the process can be made easier and more seamless. Those issuing threats have been counterproductive. The requirements will still be there, the border is still down the Irish Sea for trade, but nobody will be able to go in and fix it because they have been threatened and have had to be taken out. I ask those who have issued the threats to actually take a step back and think if what they have done is counterproductive. I will pass over now to my colleagues to add to that.