Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputy that our contingency planning for no deal will continue. We would have been able to manage no deal but there is no question but that it would have put a lot of pressure on the system. There are certain areas of the economy that would have been, and still are, very vulnerable to a no-deal Brexit.

I do not believe anybody is trying to blame anybody else. Ireland is trying to act collectively here. There are businesses working with State agencies, policymakers and politicians from all political parties to try to raise awareness of what we all need to do to prepare for the consequences of a no-deal Brexit. Part of that includes the discussion to try to ensure the 82,000 or so companies in Ireland that trade with or across the United Kingdom regularly are registered for customs in a way that will allow them to continue to trade in a no-deal Brexit scenario. I and many others have been raising the profile of this issue to ensure that people take the time to get the number they need in order to register online with the Revenue Commissioners.

We have done a really good job so far in preventing sectors of the economy or political parties from blaming one another regarding preparations for Brexit. Unlike in the United Kingdom, we have worked together and we are much stronger for it.

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