Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All the points I raised relating to increasing employment in this situation impact on rural Ireland as well. The Labour Court is expected to make a recommendation today, and we want to see our transport services in place again as soon as possible. The approach the Government has adopted to this is that we want to see a resolution while encouraging all parties to be part of that.

The issue of post offices was discussed in detail here yesterday. The Government is taking a range of actions and initiatives, including on banking, in post offices that I hope will ensure that they will remain open in rural areas across the country.

As the negotiations develop, it is essential that the vulnerability of particular sectors will form a key part of those negotiations. From an agrifood perspective and given the importance of the United Kingdom, UK, market for the sector, our demand will be for continued free access to the UK market without tariffs and with minimal additional customs and administrative procedures and to keep the UK market viable for Irish producers by minimising the risk for many UK trade agreements. That is clearly the approach we will be taking and in that context we will be discussing the very point Deputy Troy raised.

See this speech in context