Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I more or less referred to the Border supports earlier. In that regard, since July 2019, the Department has hosted Brexit outreach events in counties Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal and Louth. These focused on advising businesses on the steps they need to take now to prepare their businesses for Brexit and on highlighting the supports available to businesses to help them with such preparations. It is important to point out that the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is from the Border region and is conscious of the vulnerability of companies on the Border.

On the amendments proposed by Deputy Munster here, the Brexit supports are available to everybody because everybody will be affected in the case of a hard Brexit. The Border communities will of course need support but it is important to say that the supports will cover all regions. As I said, they will be on a demand basis.

We have encouraged companies to apply for those supports now. Even if they feel they do not need them, it is important they do so. As I said, the Government is doing everything possible to ensure that the Border regions are being looked after, particularly with regard to the amount of shows that we have. As far as Enterprise Ireland is concerned, the regions show that 65% of funding in 2018 went to the regions outside of Dublin, with funding of €11.4 million in grants for industry and research and development awarded to client companies in the north and north-west regions. That represents an increase of 12% on the 2017 figure.

The €110 million package of Brexit contingency supports will be ready to roll out in a no-deal scenario and, as I said, will be targeted at those viable and vulnerable firms whatever the circumstances. Of course, budget 2020 also provided supports. Some €40 million will be provided to support tourism, which is important in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The funding will be focused on the regions that will suffer most from a no-deal Brexit, such as the Border counties and the south east. We are conscious of the Border regions. It is very much part of our agenda to ensure that the most vulnerable are looked after.

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