Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Is the Minister aware of the indication, which has been confirmed by an tAire Airgeadais, that there may be customs posts along the Border and that, in the event of Britain leaving the customs union, the Republic will be the border of the 27 remaining states and that the Northern Ireland side of the Border will be the frontier for the United Kingdom? I am sure the Minister is aware that this is highly concerning for people living along the Border. Matters improved dramatically for communities in the aftermath of Britain joining the EU and since the commencement of the peace process. Now, there is an open Border. We could very soon have a difficult situation. Has the Minister met the Minister for Finance to discuss this issue? Has she or her officials met Revenue and Customs and Excise to find out what they are doing in terms of scouting possible sites for Border posts? Could she enlighten us about what she has done on that? It is the big fear. Tá an-eagla ar mhuintir na háite mar gheall air sin.

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