Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. Only 200,000 of the 1.3 million containers arriving in Dublin Port originate from outside the EU. In the event of a no-deal Brexit, that figure would rise to 1 million, which would be an astronomical increase in customer requirements. Dublin Port is our largest port, handling 38 million tonnes of cargo per annum. The equivalent of 13 km, or approximately 8 miles, of containers are dispatched and offloaded in the hour before dawn. The port's CEO has been open about the mismatch between the unpreparedness of hauliers, importers and exporters and the capacity of State agencies to cope. It would be negligent of us not to plan on the basis that there could be congestion. I am concerned that our only response to this so far is to make arrangements to text message truck drivers and ask them to pull in at truck stops and wait until the congestion passes. This is hardly a fool-proof plan underpinned by a substantial vision to deal with the problem before us. We hear that Rosslare may be able to assist, but its arrangements will not be in place until January 2021.

Has the Minister confidence in the ports' ability to handle a no-deal Brexit? Have the systems he has planned been road tested?

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