Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is the first question that my party leader tabled before Christmas. As a party, we had and continue to have genuine concerns that not enough is being done to meet the challenges this country faces following Brexit and yesterday's speech has given rise to extreme concern for Irish business. The evidence is that the UK Government has decided that there will be a customs border on this island and that Single Market rights will not apply to North-South or east-west trade. It is saying that it is not seeking a special status for Northern Ireland. If it is not sought, it will not be granted.

The Taoiseach does not need me to tell him how reliant so many of our companies are on trade with the UK. Since the vote, they have faced challenges in terms of currency fluctuations in the value of the English pound and the euro. This has had a detrimental effect on many industries, including the mushroom industry and other food industries where the margins are very low. What will this Government do to support such industries? If tariffs are placed on trade between the UK and Ireland, there is a real risk that good quality jobs, particularly jobs outside of large urban areas, could be lost.

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