Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. If the UK leaves the customs union and if there is no agreement on the conduct of trade, then the default position is World Trade Organization terms. That means there will have to be some control in place. It cannot mean there will be nothing in terms of the oversight and regulation of goods going over and back across the Border. We need to know what is the Government position on the use of technology, including electronic scanning. The Minister referred to imported goods coming through Dublin Port from third-party countries, some of which would be under WTO terms. Can that have practical effect across a land Border of up to 500 km with several hundred major and minor crossing points? Tens of thousands of people cross the Border every single day of the week. Can technology be deployed in such complex circumstances? I appreciate that this negotiation is only about to commence, but it would be useful for people to hear what is the Government's objective, recognising that the UK is likely to leave the customs union. That must mean something in terms of controlling the cross-Border movement of goods.

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