Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a number of Brexit-related questions. My first question concerns the inevitable delays that will be experienced by trucks coming from Ireland and heading towards the Port of Dover. Even in the event of an orderly soft Brexit, which we are hoping for, there will still be delays because there will have to be some checks on UK trucks. We will be caught up in the middle of that. What is the Government doing to prepare for that to protect our supply chains and our haulage industry and to ensure that those delays do not result in empty shelves in supermarkets in Ireland?

My second question concerns EU funding to support Ireland in a post-Brexit world. Funding was made available to the member states most affected by the migration crisis because it was an extraordinary event. Some member states shouldered more of the crisis than others. Brexit is quite similar in that not every member state is affected equally. We are clearly the most affected. Have requests been made by the Government at EU level for the establishment of a Brexit fund we could draw down from and use to try to protect ourselves and offset the worst effects of Brexit, even if it is soft?

My final question concerns the structures for dialogue between the Irish Government and the UK Government in a post-Brexit world. What does the Minister of State envisage will be in place to replace the regular meetings at EU Council level to ensure that Dublin and London are in regular contact? I refer to discussions between the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister, as well as discussions between Ministers on both sides.

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