Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all our guests and thank them for their presentations. As public representatives and as a committee, our fundamental concern is that we have the speediest and most unobtrusive movement through ports, with minimal delay. We recognise, of course, the importance of food checks and the role of Revenue but we need efficiency. It is encouraging that there is the prospect of a veterinary agreement. I presume there is not much more we can say or do about that here today but it is encouraging and let us hope it is actualised.

In the context of what I said about our ambition for speed and efficiency, my understanding is that pre-Brexit, we appointed 1,000 additional personnel, give or take, in the customs sector. Do we have an adequate staff complement? Is Revenue confident it can perform effectively with the current cohort of staff? It is important for our report that our guests' position on that be clear - in a sensible fashion, needless to say, given that we do not expect anything different. The staffing question is important for our report.

In the context of what my colleague, Deputy McDowell, raised, there was a previous presentation to the committee, and the Chairman might help me out if I am hazy on when or precisely which group it was. I think it was small business owners. The collection of taxes was presenting a difficulty for people moving through the ports. When they were trying to move at off-peak hours or weekends, access to moneys was a difficulty, if I understood correctly the person who presented to the committee a few weeks ago. Our guests might comment on that. They stated in reply to Senator McDowell that a postponed payment can be made just twice monthly, which seems to negate what was said to us previously. Perhaps the Chairman, before she invites the response, might be fit to confirm that I am correct that the proposition was put to us a few weeks ago that there was a difficulty in this regard and that importers were experiencing difficulty with the Revenue dimension at off-peak hours, weekends and so on in having access to moneys and in presenting moneys in advance. That seems to have been negated by what our guests have said during this meeting, and of course we will be happy if that is so.

I thank the Chairman for facilitating me early in the meeting because I must leave presently to go to the Chamber.