Ms Sarah Neary:

Regarding the products, Ireland is a small open economy with strong trade with UK in construction products. There are a number of different sets of statistics.

The Central Statistics Office, CSO, productivity in Ireland, PII, has statistics on imports and exports between Ireland and the UK. We do not publish those numbers so I cannot give the Deputy the percentage in respect of the construction products used in the residential or housing sector alone, but it is significant. Any change to either the availability of those products or additional tariffs or currency fluctuations translates into a knock-on effect on construction costs and we are conscious of that. The tariffs, labour movement and common travel area are all key issues in the negotiation of Brexit.

The one function the Department has is that it is the notifying authority for the construction products regulation, CPR. All construction products covered by harmonised standards must be Conformité Européenne, CE, marked when they are put on the Irish market or any other European market. Nothing will change that. Products that are being imported by Ireland that rely on a UK third party to certify them, will have to certified by a third party that is notified in some member state for them to continue to be exported here post Brexit. It does not have to be Ireland; it could be any member state putting products on the market in Ireland or elsewhere in the EU There is a change for them in the event of a hard Brexit. If a UK notified body wants to establish itself in Ireland, it must apply to the Department, for example, and we rely on the Irish National Accreditation Board, INAB, to accredit it for specific standards and in specific areas, whether it is factory production control, testing or whatever it is the body wants to do. We have had a number of applications from UK bodies. INAB is working with some of them at the moment. Once they have been accredited for whatever standards they are requesting they come back to us and there are a number of conditions relating to insurance and establishment in Ireland, and other terms and conditions. Once everything is in order and we are satisfied, we recommend their notification to Europe. A process takes place there and if that is successful, the body will become a notified body in Europe, based in Ireland, and it can carry out those functions for its UK manufacturers and place the product on the Irish market.