Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have gone right around the table, which leaves me to make a few comments and observations and ask a couple of questions. I was struck in Mr. McGrane's opening statement by the level of decline in imports and exports. The percentages are extremely high and a cause of grave concern. When we discussed this at other committee meetings, the stockpiling explanation was offered. Does Mr. McGrane have any indication as to the level that will persist once we move beyond the initial implementation period? Although it feels like we have been operating in a completely new trading environment for a couple of years, we are only five months into it. It is a credit to businesses that they have managed to minimise the impact on consumers as much as they have, given what they have had to deal with. When will the chamber of commerce have a clearer picture as to the true impact on import and export across the two islands?

Mr. McGrane said that business tends to be quiet in relation to the Northern Ireland protocol. I understand why that is the case. That is a political space that we do always want to tread in. This committee has previously expressed concern about this and I share those concerns. There will be a vote in Northern Ireland to maintain the protocol. We know this is pencilled in for four years' time. There would be a concern around practical solutions to some of the trading challenges but I believe that can be done. The approach taken by the DUP in particular is that the protocol somehow impacts on Northern Ireland's constitutional position within the United Kingdom. Even if we fixed all the practical problems, for example, we secured a veterinary agreement, as I hope we will, and streamlined the import and export process, I am concerned that the DUP would still have an issue with the protocol existing, no matter what it looks like or what it does. We might need the support of business to try to protect the protocol. This is the point I am making. I do not expect an answer on that directly. I just wanted to make the point.

Mr. McGrane made a very important point Irish products having space on UK shelves. We have been discussing Brexit for the past three years. We have learned how hard fought for that space is so that our products are placed on the middle shelf or at eye level and not on the bottom shelf, and that we compete with other products to get that space. Members of the public were not aware of the importance of that and of maintaining supply chains and the just-in-time model. That is really important for us.

With regard to a political response, is there anything the committee should include in its report to support business on that issue? How do we protect that? The committee met last week with the HSE, Revenue and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to discuss the nuts and bolts of trading through the ports and the logistical nightmare this has been for traders, including the paperwork involved and having to go to multiple locations to get goods through.

From a business perspective, what is the chamber of commerce hearing back on that? The HSE, Revenue and the Department tell us they have made a lot of improvements, have updated their systems, are working better together and are communicating with one another weekly. Are the witnesses hearing from their members that things have improved in recent months?