Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The biggest potential non-standard shock to the economy that the national risk assessments consider is the Brexit vote. I do not get a sense that the nation is possessed of the grave threat that Brexit poses to our economic model. It fundamentally changes what we have been working with for 50 years in terms of us being with Britain in a European Single Market. The ESRI, with the Department of Finance, has done considerable work in terms of identifying the gravity of the situation regarding reduced national income, reduced employment and reduced public revenues that will flow from all of that down the line. Has the Taoiseach initiated any other long-term macroeconomic analysis of the implications of Brexit, other than the work of the ESRI?

On an issue I have raised previously with the Taoiseach, I believe cyber attacks are a very serious national risk, given what we have seen in other countries, such as Lithuania and the United States. There are ongoing active threats against European democracies. Given connectivity is vital for the modern economy, there is a need to increase investment in the whole area of combatting cyber attacks.

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