Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Has the Minister had discussions with the European Commission on additional allocations of funds for Ireland? Obviously, the status of Ireland, given its economic growth rate, etc., has changed. Nonetheless, Brexit will pose an enormous economic challenge to the country and also mean that access to our markets via the United Kingdom may no longer be as easy as it once was. We are hoping for the best, but, to be honest, we must plan for a situation where there may be far more direct trade involving a longer sea voyage and which may involve not using the United Kingdom to the same degree. Frankly, we know from scenes in places such as Calais that where large numbers of trucks roll off ferries, one needs very significant port infrastructure, much bigger than what is in place. I wonder whether the Minister has had conversations with the European Union on how we will manage. I could put similar questions about airports, but, to be honest, initially the most difficult part will probably involve ports.

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