Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I might mention others before Senator Craughwell. Senator Mark Daly would get a gold star for being the most consistent attendee. It was a very helpful exercise and has produced a considerable body of work and taken on board the views of the many affected sectors. There is the potential for major economic disruption to Ireland and the UK, not to mention the rest of Europe, from Brexit. However, all Members know that Ireland will be uniquely affected.

Senator Craughwell has left the Chamber. I wish to set the record straight. The genesis of the Seanad Special Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union came from the Seanad Committee on Procedure and Privileges and was proposed by Senator Paddy Burke. Senator McDowell proposed a rolling debate on Brexit from time to time but the establishment of the committee was the suggestion of Senator Burke and it has shown what the Senate can do it if it is put to work. That is aside from any suggestion in relation to reform.The Seanad has much to offer, but that has not been fully explored. The production of this report is evidence of this.

The Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, referred to an idea in Britain, that we should join the United Kingdom in leaving the European Union. We saw the manifestation of this in the British research organisation Policy Exchange which commissioned our former diplomat Mr. Ray Bassett to produce a report that refers to the big price that Ireland will have to pay, and suggests that we should leave the European Union. I would like to put a question to the Minister of State, which she might be able to answer. We see that the divorce bill the United Kingdom is being asked to pay for Brexit by the European Union is €100 billion. They are not too happy about it. Mr. Boris Johnson is on record as saying the EU can go whistle, but that is not unusual for him.

I would like to know what our divorce bill would be, and there is no mention of it, because it would cost us as much to leave the European Union as it would cost the British. That is aside from all the other issues. I know for the most part, the mainstay of opinion is that we remain in the European Union and equally the EU supports us in the difficulties that we will no doubt encounter in the process. We have already experienced difficulties in the mushroom sector, with the fall in the price of sterling and how that has impacted on agricultural exports. That is just the tip of the iceberg.

Does anybody have any idea of the price tag if we were to leave the European Union? Some simplistic ideas are being thrown forward, but let us face the fact that the Brits do not know what they are doing but want us to join them. That would be a case of the blind leading the blind, and it would be blind to join the United Kingdom at this stage.

I would like to refer to the Government's approach as outlined in the report. A number of recommendations in the report that apply to all sectors is a recognition that small and medium enterprises and agrifood trading companies will be impacted upon and that they will need financial and other supports to help them find new markets, to diversify their offering and to negotiate the rules around customs. I know from the evidence of the haulage companies that there could potentially be an additional charge of €100 on the cost of transporting each load of goods. One of the proposals put forward to address this is that we would seek a derogation from state aid rules, so that we could support businesses. Without doubt, there will be a fracturing of the Single Market. We will experience extraordinary circumstances and I think we need an extraordinary response.

We saw the setting up of a temporary framework during the banking crisis to address issues arising from that crisis. This can present itself as a crisis, notwithstanding all the very good efforts that are being made, which I wish to acknowledge.

I have two further points, the first of which is the issue of connectivity infrastructure. I know there has been consultation by the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, on the mid-term capital review. We will need more fiscal space to invest in connectivity infrastructure. I mentioned Ireland West Airport Knock a number of times and we need to invest also in ports and roads that badly need to be improved. We will be more peripheral than ever with the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. We need that sort of support and we need the support of our European Union neighbours.

We know we are constrained in the availability of fiscal space because we have major debts but nonetheless we have to take certain actions to try to assist businesses and the State in navigating these stormy waters. Is there a plan to seek a derogation from the stability support mechanism and the fiscal rules that are confining and to which we are adhering? We have been playing our part.

Will the Minister of State outline the strategic plan? I know a couple of the recommendations would take quite a while to get through. Are we going to do that? Is that part of our plan of action?