Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government's Brexit plan can be summed up in one sentence, that is, leave it to the EU and let the market decide. This Government is walking away from its duty and is failing to address the most fundamental issue facing the Irish people outside of climate change. Brexit is disruption, of that there is no doubt, with the only question being how much disruption it will cause. The EU has decided that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, all 27 remaining member states will initiate the same plan. This is the same logic that was used during the banking crisis and subsequent austerity period, a logic that had disastrous consequences not only for the Irish State but also for the people of Greece, Portugal and Spain. We need a plan that is directed at the issues facing the island of Ireland, not just those facing the EU as a whole.

In terms of the legislation that is needed in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Government has simply listed topics but has not produced Bills. Clearly the Bills have not yet been written and little preparation has been done. If the Bills were written, surely we would be able to see them. Any legislation produced between now and the end of January will be rushed and, as a consequence, possibly severely flawed. The lack of planning means that Bills cannot be scrutinised properly at committee and improved upon via input from Members of the Oireachtas and other relevant stakeholders. We have seen this approach previously and each time it has led to even greater problems, with the bank guarantee and the liquidation of IBRC being two recent cases in point. This House needs to see the Brexit Bills as a matter of urgency. This cannot be pushed down the road any longer. This is too big an issue. The Bills must be brought to the Dáil and moved to Committee Stage where they can be properly scrutinised and improved.

In terms of other planning, the Government asked Dublin Port only on 15 November 2018 for its plans for a no-deal Brexit, a mere four months out from the actual deadline. Meanwhile, the total extent of assistance to Irish exporters is an online course provided by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, as if the problems caused by Brexit can be fixed with the click of a mouse. In terms of semi-State organisations, Enterprise Ireland has held a series of information days, the focus of which was on small businesses coming up with solutions themselves to a no-deal Brexit. The Irish State is spending its time looking for scapegoats instead of producing practical solutions itself. Is this incompetence or is it part of the plan?

The EU has said that it does not want any member states to tackle issues that could have been avoided by preparedness measures and timely action by the relevant stakeholders. This puts SMEs in an impossible position. A no-deal Brexit is entirely outside of their control. The view of most contributors to this debate this evening is that the Government lacks credibility because of a lack of detail. I would suggest that the Government has not actually planned for a no-deal Brexit and if it has done so, we have not seen that plan and that is the big problem.

Any problems that arise because of a lack of planning-----

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