Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The UK elections have provided clarity on Brexit and we can assume that the British Prime Minister, Mr. Johnson, will secure the passage of the withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons by 31 January. While this is, of course, preferable to a no-deal Brexit, the deal reached in October represents a hard Brexit and will negatively impact on the Irish economy. Following the ratification of the withdrawal agreement, the UK will enter a transition period which is due to expire at the end of 2020. That leaves a few short months to negotiate a future trading relationship which, I think we can all agree, is a challenging timeframe.

Furthermore, arrangements in Northern Ireland also have to be worked out, in detail and in practice. The revised Irish protocol ensures that there will be no hard border on the island. Northern Ireland will be de facto in the EU Single Market for goods and agrifood and complying with the EU's customs code. This is a complex and complicated situation. It will require new infrastructure and systems and it will involve increased volumes of paperwork, checks and increased cost for businesses. It is envisaged that a specialised sub-committee that forms part of the overall joint committee created to manage the new relationship between Britain and Europe will put the protocol on Ireland into effect. Will the Tánaiste give us any detail at this stage on the specialised sub-committee - who will be on it, how it will work and when will it be up and running?

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