John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is true. If the Minister for State looks at the headlines he will see the financial services companies are going to Frankfurt and elsewhere and we are not at the races in terms of the forceful argument and position we need to take to get something out of this for this country.

I am not convinced that we are as well-prepared as we should be in terms of agriculture. I admire the Minister for seeking out his friends and having people, as he said, in court who will support our position. However, when a person is in business, he or she needs a plan. That person needs to know where he or she is going. Markets react to that. Small businesses react to that and they plan on the basis, in this case, of Government policy and what we believe will come out of Brexit and the supports that will be there for small businesses. Indigenous businesses, exporters and even those on the High Street need a plan. Financial services need a plan. As we go through the process, they need some sort of indicative position as to what that plan might look like.

I am not convinced that we know how to deal with the transport systems. What will happen if there are tariffs on transporting goods across our Border, through England and into Europe? What will happen if there is a hard Border? How will exporters and transporters, who are on a very low margin, be supported during the process of this discussion? How will they be supported if the agreement goes wrong for us? We have to plan for the worst case scenario and we have to be prepared to step in and support small businesses, those that export and those that transport those exports. I do not see that plan in place. Similar to other Departments, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is describing the negative possibilities but we do not see them being addressed. There is an onus on this House to ensure there is an overall plan and to ensure that plan is supported financially by Government in terms of what we have to get from Europe. The decision that comes out of this will have a negative impact. We need to limit that negative impact as much as possible but the Government is not yet up to the game.

The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, brought forward the welcome report on the cost of motor insurance. However, the issue of truck insurance being made available right across Europe so that those in the business can get the cheaper option needs to be explored. Even doing that much would instil some confidence in the industry that we recognise what is going on here and we are going to address it.

In recent weeks in this House, we have kicked the can down the road on issues such as water charges, the Garda Commissioner and so on. I do not want to see the same happen in regard to the Brexit issue and the hard questions that have to be answered.

We need to be good Europeans with a strong, hard edge. We must not be afraid to argue our case and look after our own self-interest. That is what other European countries will do. That is certainly what France and Germany will do.

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