Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. He has made some important points. The deployment of the Brexit adjustment reserve will be so important for our country.

We are getting the lion's share among member states because we are undoubtedly the country that is most impacted by Brexit. What we have to do is match those resources with the sectors that require additional support to counter the adverse consequences associated with Brexit. We have defined those areas already. Some of them are very much consistent with what the Deputy has stated. The Brexit adjustment reserve fund will be used in the area of enterprise supports, measures to support fisheries and coastal communities, targeted supports for the agrifood sector, reskilling, retraining and checks and controls at ports and airports, for example.

Ireland's allocation of €1.165 billion is significant. As the Deputy is aware, the spending of that money must take place between now and the end of 2023. One can bring into the reference period expenditure since 1 January 2020. My Department is working through the detail of that. The funding is most welcome and will be used in the areas the Deputy has identified as being of priority.

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