Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Having been involved in the Brexit process from the start, the Minister is only too well aware of the detrimental impact of Brexit on the island of Ireland. Indeed, both he and I attended many a Brexit forum detailing to larger audiences throughout the country just how bad it would be with tariffs. The deal, as we will call it, may have avoided tariffs and, to the Minister’s mind, solved the problem but I can tell him it did not. We have exactly what I warned we would have: Ireland’s enforcement agencies doing what they do best, that is, enforcing the 30-year-old EU customs code to the nth degree on an IT system that is not fit for purpose. Each agency concerned has its own IT system and those systems do not even talk to each other. With these systems, many hours of working time must be spent to access and complete a declaration, all to Ireland’s detriment. A food consignment declaration can mean accessing as many as eight different IT systems, and the procedure is taking hours, if it successful at all. People arrive at the port only to be told there is a problem with one of the eight IT systems accessed. Clarifying which one can take days. The result is that tonnes of food must be destroyed. Where is the Government's social conscience?

Past and present Governments dealing with Brexit — the Minister has been a member of both — promised to assist businesses. Governments have promised to ensure alternatives to the land bridge so EU markets could be accessed without disruption. The Government promised to provide grants to assist with training of customs agents to get the private sector Brexit ready. Here is what the Government did: it provided a shipping report from the Irish Maritime Development Office, IMDO, stating we did not need to do anything, leaving businesses and their hauliers languishing at ports as ships left them behind. The capacity was not where it was required, as depicted in the IMDO report. Shipping now involves a massive cost increase, a cost that will be borne by all Irish consumers, but especially by low-income earners doing their weekly shopping. The Government advertised grants from Enterprise Ireland to train customs agents but applications were capped or turned down. Now, instead of having people with the expertise to carry out the customs paperwork, we have a shortage of customs agents. The Government has a €15 million fund sitting unused because of bureaucracy while businesses go down the tubes and jobs are lost. The Minister was made aware of this in July 2019. I will read a little excerpt from an email that demonstrates this:

Good afternoon Tánaiste Coveney,

...I am completing Customs Clearances now for 36 years and have quite a bit of experience...

We have been given the statistics for companies importing and exporting to the UK [by Revenue]. I have also seen the amount of shipments that take place. With the volumes that are forecasted for clearances, there is not a chance in the world that the volume of traffic can be cleared customs due to the lack of agents and staff...

It has been highlighted at the Customs Consultative Committee Meetings to the various Governmental Departments. I do not think they realise the urgency of the matter...

The information needs to be inputted into the Customs Automated Computer System. Agricultural goods need be inputted into the European Traces System...

Speaking to other agents and importers and exporters, I know a lot are not geared up. A lot of experienced agents are near retirement...and they simply will not be interested in taking on extra work. Importers and exporters are of the opinion that they will employ an agent. But we, as a country, will not have the capacity [of trained staff]...

I urge you to highlight this as a matter of urgency at Government and European level.

No customs agent means reduced movements on exports and imports. That means business closure, job losses and a massive increase in the cost of Johnny and Mary's weekly shop while they listen to the Government repeat that this is Brexit and that it is not of its making. It may not be of the Government's making but it is still its problem.

According to an analysis by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the cost of the Brexit deal to the fishing sector is €43 million. This represents a 15% loss of all fish caught by Irish vessels. What has not been taken into account is that from April 2021, Irish vessels will no longer be able to land in the UK and instead must go to Belgium or France with their catch, adding 16 hours in travel time and €4,000 in costs. Why can the Government not change this? The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, designated five extra ports at which foreign fishing vessels may land their catch in Ireland. Is the Government beyond asking the UK or the EU to alleviate the problem of Irish vessels travelling for 16 hours in dangerous weather conditions? The Government must request a derogation or an exemption unless it would prefer its image as poster boy of Europe to continue at the expense of our fishermen, their communities and the fish processors from Kilmore Quay to Killybegs. The cost of the Government doing nothing for Wexford's fishing communities in Kilmore Quay and Duncannon and the 100 families involved is €6 million per year. This is but one sector affected. I do not have the speaking time to mention the others but what is happening will continue and there will be time in the future for me to address it.

The Government has two choices. It can either sit back and watch Ireland’s trade volumes reduce drastically as businesses close, jobs are lost and consumers' costs continue to rise or it can go over to the EU and negotiate for Ireland. Today, the volume of trade from the UK is 30% of the normal rate. Customs agents are overwhelmed at 30% but, despite this, the Revenue Commissioners are informing the Government that these are teething problems. It seems there is no one who can do the simple mathematics, neither in the Revenue Commissioners nor the Government, but the losses will keep mounting. For the Minister's information, the volume of traffic in Rosslare has increased by 600%. It has no bearing on the reduction in the UK-Ireland trade that we see.

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