Mr. Neil McDonnell:

When it comes to manufacturing it depends on what is being manufactured. A classic example of an engineering product that comes from north of the Border is buses. Many of the buses we see here come from Wrightbus. This is a highly regulated area. If Wrightbus suddenly decided it would not manufacture to EU standards or produce certification on CO2 or NOx, those buses could not be bought. If agricultural machinery is just for use on a farm and will not be used on roads, that will be fine but vehicles that are to be put on the road are different.

Mr. Molloy raised the point of white-collar and blue-collar professional qualifications. We have seen issues with qualifications and rights of representation before the courts. This has affected solicitors and barristers. There will also be issues regarding regulated apprenticeships such as electrical and plumbing apprenticeships. I referred to this earlier. If there is a divergence in electrical or plumbing standards and a Republic of Ireland business uses a County Tyrone or County Armagh electrical subcontractor, there is a danger a major site developer here will tell firms to certify that all of their people are qualified to EU standards. These are the very annoying details that were never considered when the UK went down the Brexit path.

We are seeing that this is already having an impact on major public contracts. Someone cannot be let on to the national children's hospital project or the Dublin Airport runway development who is not qualified to EU standard. That stuff is really complex.