Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I accept that these are challenging times for thousands of companies which rely on trade with the UK. Approximately 38,000 Irish companies have significant trade interests with consumers and customers in the UK. The Deputy has attended many of the meetings I have attended at which Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and IDA Ireland have provided information and updates. They have seen an increase in awareness levels among their client companies about the need to prepare for Brexit. There is huge uncertainty because we do not know what the final outcome will look like. We are anxious to move on to the second phase of the negotiations on Friday to try to answer many of the questions being asked by companies in the UK and Ireland. There is no doubt that we will speak to the Commission about state aid rules if the outcome of Brexit looks like it will be very damaging from an Irish perspective, particularly in the context of Irish trade with the UK. In such circumstances, we will talk about the measures we can take in response. We will certainly not get agreement on the relaxation of state-aid rules in the absence of an understanding of what Brexit will look like.

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