Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Let us start with jobs. Ireland is a trading nation and we export a lot of goods and services globally. By far the biggest export group is our small and medium-sized companies, and €2 in every €5 of our SME exports go to the UK. For some SME sectors, the figure is much higher. The Department of Finance estimates that a hard Brexit could lead to 40,000 fewer jobs in this country and a drop in trade with the UK of nearly one third. Irish exporters could be looking at the imposition of tariffs. They could be looking at border controls and a divergence in product standards with the UK no longer subject to EU regulations. They could be looking at lower business regulations for UK companies, such as on environmental protections and working conditions. They could be looking at changes to contract enforcement, the rights of their employees to work, changes in data protection, higher costs of funds, bigger currency fluctuations and more.

Our fishing industry faces an existential threat, should the UK decide to take back its territorial waters. The agrifood sector faces an existential threat. Beef farmers could be looking at tariffs of more than 50% and having to compete with product from Brazil or Argentina or producers who do not have to deal with EU food safety standards. The list goes on.

What has the Government done in response to these threats to farmers, the fishing industry, manufacturing, tourism, retail and 40,000 Irish jobs? The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has a dedicated Brexit unit, which is one principal officer and three additional staff. In the Brexit budget last year, IDA Ireland received total funding for Brexit of less than €1 million and is allowed to hire nine staff. To put this into context, The Guardianhas a Brexit unit of nine staff. Bord Bia, tasked with helping the agrifood sector deal with an existential threat, is allowed to hire four staff this year for Brexit. To put this into context, the newly established UK Department for Exiting the European Union employs 335 officials.

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