Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I cannot give the Deputy a specific commitment today. I am not in a position to make policy decisions on the hoof. Some funds are already available. For example, a payment has been made to a producer in the mushroom industry and, as part of the budget, a low-interest loan scheme to the value of €150 million is being put in place for farmers.

Falls in the value of sterling have happened before. They can happen independently of any concern or decision around Brexit. They work both ways. For some companies, they can be devastating, moving them from a position of profit to one of loss. For others, they can be a benefit. If companies import from the UK, for example, their costs will be reduced. Although it is not possible for every industry, the solution for most is to diversify and not be dependent on one market.

I will leave the Deputy with a final thought. Four times in its history, Ireland has gone down a different road from the UK. In 1921, we became independent, which came with challenges. In 1948, we left the Commonwealth and became a republic. There were challenges associated with that. In 1979, we broke the link with sterling, which came with challenges. In 2002, we decided to join the euro without Britain and, of course, there were challenges with that. On every occasion, we rose to those challenges and Ireland emerged stronger and more prosperous as a result. We will ensure that the latter will also be the case on this occasion.

See this speech in context