Mr. Ian Talbot:

I would like to add a general view from other chambers on both sides of the Border but particularly the north west.

Infrastructure is a key need. Mr. Malone has mentioned roads, without naming particular ones. For people travelling to the north west, the A5-N2 is a nightmare. This is impeding growth in the area. It is important to keep developing infrastructure.

Another piece of infrastructure is the electricity grid. Work on the North-South interconnector is under way, but we need to ensure it will happen as a priority. A safe, reliable and secure power supply is vital for economic growth in the area.

Another point I should mention concerns the potential of the regional action plan for jobs that is being rolled out. The jobs to be rolled out in Border areas could inform debate on both sides of the Border. We should try to develop the clusters about which we talked, rather than our side of the equation only. We must also tackle the black economy. We continue to hear, particularly in the case of alcohol, that with increasing duties and taxes, alcohol smuggling is on the increase. This represents a significant loss to the Exchequer and has other implications for the economy.

My final point concerns the implications of a Brexit. We know that the Government is taking a proactive view and that a sub-group has been established in the Department of the Taoiseach. The Brexit conversations will create a degree of uncertainty. It is an important issue for us and we hope it is addressed in a reasonably discreet fashion from a time perspective. We can deal with it, but it will have an impact in this area.