Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I think it is sunny everywhere today except in the Dáil.

I got a very disturbing email yesterday containing photographs of a queue in Dover. The Port of Dover has apparently instituted migrant checks which meant it took commercial traffic three hours to travel 1.8 km. The effects of Brexit are still four months away.

In recent weeks the UK Government introduced the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill 2019-21. By the UK Government's own admission, this breaches Article 4 of the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, an international treaty. In so doing, the UK Government has decided to breach its international obligations under an international treaty in order to safeguard national interests. It has admitted this to the entire world. The UK's reputation for dealing in good faith has been irreparably damaged worldwide, and it does not appear to have taken a feather out of the political leadership.

With this in mind, there is grave concern that the UK will also renege on its commitments to the transit arrangement concerning the UK landbridge. There is no guarantee that the UK will honour the Common Transit Convention, which allows the passage of Irish trucks carrying valuable Irish exports through the network of UK roads and ports to mainland Europe. Every year more than 150,000 trucks come and go from Dublin Port and Rosslare Europort and use the landbridge. This trade has an estimated value of more than €18 billion. Many of these trucks are carrying fresh produce such as beef and lamb from Wexford factories like Slaney Foods International in Clohamon, Irish Country Meats in Camolin and Kavanagh Meats Ireland in Enniscorthy. These three factories employ 1,100 workers, not including farmers, hauliers and service providers. Just a fraction of that cohort has been in touch with me to voice their concern that the UK's actions could signal the end of the landbridge transit arrangement.

Can the Taoiseach tell the House whether this transit arrangement has been secured as part of the withdrawal agreement? Moreover, what preparations has the Government made to safeguard Irish exports, jobs and businesses if the UK reneges on the Common Transit Convention and prevents Irish trucks from using the land bridge?

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