James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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29. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position on discussions with his UK counterpart on the issue of border checks on trucks originating here and arriving in the UK from Rosslare Europort but which plan to travel onwards to another country within the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16783/20]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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What is the position on discussions with the Minister's UK counterpart on the issue of border checks on trucks originating here and arriving in the UK from Rosslare Europort but which plan to travel onwards to another country within the European Union? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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6 o’clock

Ensuring the UK land bridge remains an effective route to market for Irish and other EU traders has been a key priority for the Government for some time in the context of Brexit. The UK's accession to the common transit convention is a key and positive step. It is important to recognise that because the UK Government has decided to be part of that convention in an effort to be helpful. This allows EU goods to transit through the UK without undergoing full customs export and import formalities on entry and exit. In partnership with other EU land bridge countries and the European Commission, we recently addressed some sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, challenges affecting Irish-EU goods transiting the UK back into the EU. We will continue to work with these partners on land bridge issues.

I have had numerous discussions with my counterparts in the UK and across the EU. All understand the importance we attach to maintaining the land bridge as an effective route to market. The UK Government published its border operating manual recently. Officials from a number of Departments held a voice chat with their British counterparts to better understand their approach to applying controls on goods moving between the EU and Great Britain, including transit. There remains a risk of substantial delays on parts of the land bridge route between the UK and France, for example, Dover-Calais, the Eurotunnel and possibly Holyhead. While we can work to address these at the EU end, there is little we can do to mitigate the impact on Irish traders arising from queues in the UK. In other words, what we have done is effectively secured a commitment from countries such as France, Belgium and the Netherlands that when goods arrive from the UK on Irish trucks, these trucks will enter the green lane and will not be treated the same as UK trucks arriving because the Irish trucks will be coming from another part of the Single Market and re-entering the Single Market. The challenge for us will be in the UK. If there are significant traffic queues to get on ships in Dover, for example, I do not envisage a situation where Irish trucks will be allowed to skip the queue. That is where the blockage is likely to be.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his comments. I know he has worked hard on this issue. There is now strong agreement with fellow EU countries on ensuring our goods, once they arrive on the Continent, can continue onwards quickly. The concern is what will happen in the UK, which is, to a large degree, out of the State's hands. In particular, any delays involving perishable goods would have serious consequences. Perishable items such as meat or fish that need to be transported to the Paris markets, for example, are no good if there is a delay getting them there. One truck driver told me that nobody buys turkeys on St. Stephen's Day so if perishable products do not get to market on time, they are no good.

I stress the potential of Rosslare Europort, which is ideally located. It is the quickest sea route from Ireland to the Continent and it must be priority given the security it offers for getting our goods to the Continent on time.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Rosslare Europort is a priority. As the Deputy knows, the Government has, since 2018, made significant investment in the infrastructure and systems at Rosslare Europort. Substantial work is complete on a number of projects, including new inspection bays, HGV parking spaces and live animal inspection facilities. Further facilities will come on line before the end of the year. A big warehouse facility is due to be finished before the end of the year. Shipping companies have been looking at potential direct routes from Dublin and Rosslare to the Single Market and to various ports on the EU mainland, if one wants to call it that. However, without doubt the fastest way to get fresh and chilled goods to market quickly, if the land bridge can be used efficiently and without significant blockages in queueing systems, is to drive across the UK and use shorter ferry routes. We want to try to ensure the land bridge can be used efficiently in the future but we expect some teething problems. That has been predicted for some time and I have no evidence to suggest that the issues will be easily ironed out. Both options will be looked at by traders but we want to have a smooth land bridge across the UK in the post-Brexit period.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Obviously, the land bridge is the quickest and most secure route if it can be kept open. I believe a sea bridge between Rosslare and Cherbourg or Roscoff needs to be developed and secured. Has the Minister had discussions with his French counterparts or the French ambassador about securing additional routes or creating a sea bridge between Rosslare and France to ensure there is an alternative route to get our goods to France? Even creating a sea bridge would create leverage on the UK Government to keep the land bridge open as we would not be totally dependent on the UK land bridge.

I acknowledge there have been significant developments around Rosslare Europort in recent times. The port was neglected for a long time but the development of the M11 towards Rosslare Europort as an access road, the submission by Iarnród Éireann of planning applications to develop the port and the establishment of border inspection posts mean the port is moving in the right direction. However, it needs continued focus. The opportunity to develop the port should be taken.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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To try to be helpful, I will publish an update of the Government Brexit readiness and contingency action plan in September. We are working on that at the moment. The plan will outline the work taking place across Government and the steps businesses and citizens should take to prepare for the end of the transition period. This will be supported by the roll-out of a focused communications programme, also in the autumn, which will deal with land bridge issues and a range of other Brexit issues.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, brought a memorandum on Brexit to Cabinet this week, which gave us an update on Rosslare Europort, Dublin Port and Dublin Airport. He will bring another memo to Government in the weeks ahead, specifically in relation to the ports and the upgrades required by the end of the year. This issue is being the subject of much conversation in government. We are in ongoing discussions with ferry companies. They have essentially requested the Government not to intervene in the ferry market, even though we would do so if necessary to maintain supply chains. There is enough capacity, should it be needed, to switch from using the UK land bridge to direct ferry routes in the event of significant barriers to trade arising on the land bridge, but we hope to avoid that.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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Deputy Browne's fellow county man, Deputy Howlin, wishes to ask a brief question.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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It is hard to get to ask a supplementary question when one is up in the gods.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I cannot see the Deputy but it is nice to be up there, all the same.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I compliment Deputy Browne on tabling this question, on which I want to make a brief supplementary contribution. If there are difficulties in the UK land bridge, and the Minister acknowledges there will at least be short-term difficulties, there will be long queues to board ships in Dover and other places. We need to have more direct connectivity from the island of Ireland to continental Europe. I am not surprised that some ferry companies have indicated they do not want Government intervention because some of them operate on close to a monopoly basis. We must not depend exclusively on Dublin because if there is a difficulty with access to Dublin Port, there will be huge difficulty with getting goods off and on this island. Has the Minister had discussions in government or with the Minister for Finance in relation to Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, support for new ferry links directly from Rosslare to alternative ports on continental Europe?

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy and ask the Minister to be brief because other Deputies are losing out on time.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I will be brief. As the Deputy will know, having asked questions on this issue before, there has been significant consultation between my Department and the Department with responsibility for transport, which has had an ongoing dialogue with ferry companies.

There is intense competition among ferry companies on the routes between Britain and Ireland. In addition, there has been significant increased capacity in terms of direct ferry routes between Ireland and the rest of the EU. That capacity has already been coming on stream and ferry companies have invested heavily in it. It was in this context that the companies did not want subsidised routes, given the amount of investment they have made in new ships and so on. That being said, we need to continue to focus on this issue, particularly given the uncertainty in regard to Brexit, because supply chains and access are something we must have contingency around should we need it. We will continue to talk to the ferry companies in this regard.