Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

For some time, I have advocated more cross-Border agency work and a joint approach by both police forces and Revenue offices. That is happening and it is very welcome. Again, I take the opportunity to compliment officials at local level who are dealing with these matters but there is a trade going on out there and small-scale traders, the owners of legitimate businesses who dutifully pay their taxes and dues to this State who are finding it hard to survive. My message is that we must be constantly vigilant and attentive to this matter. If additional resources or powers are needed by statutory agencies, these should be provided. At times there are additional demands on our local authorities to conduct additional inspections but no additional resources are provided. That happened last year with regard to the monitoring of smokeless fuels. Local authorities were not given the additional resources they needed to carry their statutory obligations. I ask that the Department would look at that in the overall context.

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