Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is correct that we have made a submission on the original list, if you like, that is, the tariffs that would be due to be reactivated. That is what submissions were invited on. I am not sure whether the letter is published. I am happy to share it with the Deputy. In that we highlighted our particular concerns about dairy and the drinks industry. I think they were the two particular areas of concern. More broadly, though, and as time has moved on, the biggest immediate concern now is obviously the pharma sector. We have been trying to work with industry here but also with European countries that also have a big pharma presence. I mentioned earlier in the House my conversations and engagements with counterparts in Denmark and the Netherlands. Those are two examples. Sweden tomorrow is a third example. Quite a number of countries in the European Union have a large pharma presence and pharma industry. The Deputy is right that retaliatory tariffs of course will have an impact too, and that is why they have to be strategic. They have to be co-ordinated and they should be put in place only with a view to trying to get people around a table to find a resolution to this.

See this speech in context