Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My first question relates to the issue of an EU financial support package. What conversations has the Tánaiste had with the Commission and the EU as to what can be provided in terms of amounts, the manner of provision and when financial support might be made available to us? What criteria will we have to meet in order to access funds? I appreciate that before Christmas we were not yet in a position where we needed to ask for that help. However, I am concerned that we are waiting until we reach the cliff edge, or possibly go over it, before we ask for help. It is reasonable, if not imperative, that there would be a specific fund in place, ready to go, if and when we need it. It is inevitable that regardless of the type of Brexit we get, whether it be orderly or disorderly, we will still need supports for industry here. We will still need additional infrastructure because of Brexit and we need to know what financial package we can lay our hands on. It is not enough to say that we must wait and see what happens. If we have a no-deal Brexit for example, there may be an immediate drop in the value of sterling and there may be difficulties or delays in traversing the landbridge. These are two immediate impacts that we could face on 30 March. We cannot have three or four weeks in which we are scrambling around, looking for a solution.

My second question relates to infrastructure. I am not satisfied with the responses we have received to date on what exactly will be in place at Dublin Port, Rosslare and Dublin Airport. I asked if planning permission would be required to build certain infrastructure before the end of March and the response was "No" but that does not make sense. If one has to build on land, one needs planning permission. I ask the Tánaiste to flesh that out and to provide more detail on how that is the case.

On the issue of the backstop, a conversation was recorded between the Tánaiste and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. I ask the Tánaiste to provide an explanation to this House as to what that was all about. The Tánaiste and the Minister thought they were having a private conversation so one can only assume they were both speaking openly and honestly with each other, as Cabinet colleagues. In that context, I ask the Tánaiste to explain what he said to the Minister and why he said it.

Has any contingency planning been done by the Government for a border on this island? Has there been any planning for that whatsoever?

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