Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the strategy of holding to no hard border but I am concerned that we are putting ourselves at the epicentre of a bigger problem, namely, that the Tory Government cannot agree anything about the future relationship between the UK and Europe. It is putting Ireland at the central point of what is the bigger problem, which is that the Tories want to have their cake and eat it but will now not be able to get it. We must be careful that we see the bigger picture.

The stakeholders forum has been very useful but we have not looked in detail about what will happen in a crash-out scenario where there is no withdrawal deal. As I understand it, in those circumstances there would not be a backstop arrangement then because that is part of the deal. Our discussion on this in Dundalk was interesting. The impact it would have on the beef and cheese sector, for instance, is that overnight there would be tariffs of 50% or 60%. However, it is not just those sectors. How would the financial services sector manage in those circumstances? What would happen to all the digital services companies or flights between the various jurisdictions? In every one of those 700 areas where we have to seek agreement, if we do not have a transition arrangement, there will be an economic crash and we will be stuck in the middle.

I ask a question of the Minister and he can respond through the Tánaiste and it could be in private rather than public, because the issues are sensitive and difficult, but we need to start preparing for that now. We to start being honest and upfront with the UK Government about where we are at. It is not merely an Irish Border problem now, the whole arrangement is in deep trouble and we must start getting ready for that.

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