Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to talk about Brexit preparations for small businesses as they stand. Regardless of whether a no-deal Brexit or a Brexit with a deal occurs, small businesses have a lot to do to get ready for whatever kind of Brexit comes about. They must register for EORI numbers to allow them to trade across the Border and to trade with the UK in the future. That is vitally important. The number of such registrations has increased significantly in recent months. That is very welcome because these numbers must be secured. I was surprised to find that some businesses are still not fully aware of what needs to be done in that regard. I do not know what can be done to increase the number of businesses registering for those numbers but they will need them in either scenario. I believe this is partly because of the confusion surrounding whether there will be a no-deal Brexit or a Brexit with a deal. Regardless of the type of Brexit occurs, businesses must register. People seem to think that they will only have to do so if a no-deal Brexit occurs but they will have to do it in either event. The Tánaiste should take this on board and factor it in. I do not know how he intends to deal with it, but it is something which needs to be taken-----

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