Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Our amendment to the motion calls on the Government to commit to the completion of a number of important infrastructure projects across this island. The A5 Dublin to Derry road is a vital project that will help connect these two cities and provide good transport links for communities along this route, particularly in the Border counties. This project needs to be progressed. Our motion also calls for investment in our regional airports and ports across the island, which will become more important in a post-Brexit Europe. The reality is that €26 billion of Irish exports were destined for the 26 other countries in the EU, excluding Britain, last year. Getting these goods to the continent could become an issue if a hard Brexit occurs. It takes approximately ten hours for a truck to travel between Dublin and Calais currently, using Britain as a land bridge. If this route becomes unusable, whether due to restrictions, checks or massive queues at the Channel Tunnel, the alternative direct ferry route to Zeebrugge in Belgium will take 38 hours. Any additional time in transit will cost businesses money, and when transporting perishable goods, every hour counts.

I asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation about this yesterday, and inquired about the plans in place to deal with such a scenario. Unfortunately, not much information was provided by the Government in this area. The Irish Maritime Development Office is currently compiling a report into the use of land bridge and the alternatives that could be used. This is welcome and I hope it is published soon so we can examine its findings. Can the Minister provide a date of publication of that report?

In the context of Brexit, we should now examine whether IDA land could be used to set up large warehousing depots in Ireland to replace similar warehouses currently used by Irish companies in Britain, and the idea of using bonded warehouses in Britain. If we are not prepared for a hard Brexit, it will have a devastating effect on Irish businesses, exporters and farmers. Businesses need to know now what structures will be in place when Britain leaves the EU.

It is clear the Tories are so fractured they will be unable to come up with a solution by October or March, and this makes a hard Brexit much more likely. Should Britain crash out of the EU with no deal, air and shipping capacity in the short-term should be increased by the Government. The infrastructure needs across the island are huge, and I believe it is a mistake to be putting hundreds of millions into a rainy day fund when so many vital projects are needed now. We need to invest in these important projects now to help mitigate the problems that will arise for businesses and exporters due to Brexit.

I had not intended to speak about Fianna Fáil, but it seems to be very touchy when any issues are raised. It has come to the House with a motion, but it has no idea of how the proposals contained within it can be funded. Fianna Fáil wrecked the economy three times, including twice in my lifetime. For that reason most people I went to third level education with do not live in Ireland any more; they emigrated when Fianna Fáil collapsed the economy in the 1980s. My nephews and nieces left when it collapsed the economy in 2008. It is hard to listen to Fianna Fáil; it wants everything and wants to pay for nothing.

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