Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the midst of the chaos across the water, Ireland must remain calm during the increasingly tense weeks leading up to 31 October. Fianna Fáil has acted, and will continue to act, responsibly, providing stability and space to the Government to negotiate in the best interests of our country. It was positive to see the Taoiseach being so resolute with Prime Minister Johnson on the backstop when he visited Dublin. The backstop is not only important for economic reasons, but for social and historical reasons.

While no one wants to see a crash-out, which would be catastrophic, there is a real possibility that it will happen. Not only that, but all of the uncertainty is eroding confidence. Speak to any car salesperson or auctioneer and he or she will say that no one is buying. People are stalling on making investment decisions and the market is stagnant, which is damaging our SMEs. SMEs are the most important sector of our economy, one that often cannot afford to hedge or put in place risk measures. Small and micro-sized businesses account for 85% of all Irish enterprises exporting to the UK. It is for this reason that the Government needs to be open and honest with our SME sector and give it as much detail as possible about what a no-deal Brexit means and the likely next steps in terms of trading and the knock-on effects of the UK crashing out on 31 October. SMEs are the backbone of our economy and deserve an honest Government that is prepared to tell them the facts.

Estimates of Ireland's national level of Brexit trade-related risk exposure are in the region of 10%. The current advice being provided by the Government is poor, to say the least. Consider two pieces of advice that the Government provides in the Brexit document, Getting Your Business Brexit Ready - Practical Steps. First, people should be "aware of possible changes to transport & logistics for goods transiting via the UK". We are an island that relies on a landbridge, so of course there are going to be changes. What people need to know is what those changes will be and what alternatives will be in place. Second, people should know "more about the impact on your sector". They are looking to the Government to tell them more about those impacts, but they are not being told.

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