Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have had many engagements with the ICTU recently, but they have related to matters such as pension reform. I have not yet had any personal contact with it about Brexit other than at wider, multi-sectoral forums, but I have no doubt that I will have that opportunity very soon. The national economic dialogue will take place in the next two weeks and it will be a very good chance for me to engage with the ICTU and business representatives on a number of issues, including Brexit.

Bord Bia's forecast involves a worst case scenario. It is the maximum impact a hard Brexit could have on Irish food producers and exporters. None of us is working towards that outcome. We are all working towards an outcome that will as much as possible maintain free trade between Britain and Ireland. That is something we are keen to do and which is achievable. I do not detect an enormous desire in London to reduce the amount of trade between the North and the South, east-west, or between Britain and the rest of Europe. Britain wants to be able to negotiate its own trade deals separately from the European Union in the belief it can have more, not less, trade. In my mind, it is hard to see how one can square that, but the position in Britain is not to shut down trade. It is not a position similar to that being taken in the United States where there are attempts to erect barriers to trade. Britain honestly believes that by leaving the European Union, it can have greater free trade with countries outside the European Union, but I do not know how that will manifest itself.

I recently saw an interesting statistic for health care staff. It suggested Brexit might benefit us in helping us to retain and recruit health care staff. As the value of sterling fell, the salary differential between Britain and Ireland looked very different. When one converts sterling to euros, salaries that looked better in Britain no longer are. I also understand there has been a decrease of 97% in the number of non-EU nationals going to work in the British health service because of uncertainty about its position. Perhaps a weaker sterling and Britain being less welcoming of migrants might be to our benefit in recruiting health care staff.

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