Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said the onus is on the UK side to come up with workable solutions but the problem is they will not nor do they want to because the UK is happy to leave the border open. The issue is on the EU side because if the UK leaves the customs union, which looks increasingly certain, there will be an obligation on the EU to protect the integrity of that union and the Revenue will be the national agent of the European Commission. It is a European Commission competence. The Minister needs to answer the question. If the UK leaves the customs union, which looks increasingly certain, what are we looking at in respect of Border arrangements? There has been some change in the Revenue position regarding preparatory work. The Minister needs to clarify whether the Revenue Commissioners are continuing to conduct analysis and contingency work, to examine options, to scale up IT infrastructure and so on because those were the types of issues they put on the record at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach in May but there seems to have been a change.

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