Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a lot we still do not know about Brexit. We do not know whether there will be a hard or soft Brexit. We do not know if there will be a transition period. If there is such a period, we do not know how long it will be or what conditions might apply to it. We do not know whether there will be a deal. One of the parties might walk away from the table over the next one, two or three years. We do not know any of these things. As the Tánaiste knows, this level of uncertainty is bad for business. I will give an example of how it is affecting businesses in Ireland right now. Despite Ireland's significant success in the agrifood sector, it has been shown in a new ESRI analysis that investment in the sector has decreased over the past 18 months. It is reasonable to assume that this reduction is partly linked to Brexit. There is a lot we do know. Sterling has fallen to a point where more and more Irish firms are finding it impossible to compete. The UK economy is in trouble. Growth is now anaemic.

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