Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday in the Lower House the Minister for Finance, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, responded to questions from the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, on the effects of a hard border in the context of employment. The Minister gave a stark, factual response which will send a shiver down the spines of many citizens, particularly those living in Border counties. He maintained that a hard border would result in the level of unemployment rising by 2%. That is equivalent to some 40,000 job losses. He also explained that the sectors that would be most affected would be agrifood and manufacturing. These sectors are important in the Border counties of Monaghan, Cavan, Donegal and Louth. The economy of County Monaghan is nearly totally dependent on the agrifood sector. This shows the cliff edge we are on as negotiations take place between Mrs. Theresa May and the European Union. We are all 100% behind the Government in its efforts to date to ensure Brexit will be as soft as possible and that we will retain the current arrangements at the conclusion of the talks. We cannot close the door on our neighbour.Regardless of whether we like it, the United Kingdom will always be our neighbour and we have to ensure that the deal it secures is the best deal possible because that will ultimately have a serious impact on Ireland, particularly those of us who live in the Border counties. Although I am sure it is tempting not to do so and I accept that the negotiations with the UK to date have proved frustrating, we have to be patient and tolerant and give Britain space because ultimately the future of this country, particularly the Border counties such as Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal, totally depend on it.