Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome to the House. I know she has had some interaction on it with Senator Nash. Unfortunately, he cannot be here today. He sends his apologies but he acknowledges the work the Minister has done on bringing the Bill to the House today. No one knows the possible impact of a hard Brexit on the Border counties better than the Minister. She represents and lives in a Border county and is aware of the likelihood of job losses. It is important to put the finances in place to try to support small businesses in facing the pressure of a hard Brexit. Even if there is no hard Brexit, the long-term viability of small businesses in Border counties will be difficult to sustain. It has always been difficult. Further pressures will certainly make circumstances more difficult.

On many occasions, the Minister has touched upon the fact that larger businesses and industries have been able to put resources aside to deal with a possible hard Brexit. I refer to sourcing raw materials from other locations and to the pharmaceutical industry checking standards and criteria and, in some cases, changing its formulae. Even a small change to ingredients in the pharmaceutical industry can have a knock-on effect on packaging, content, and research and development. I am confident that the larger companies have been able to address this and put the necessary resources in place. They have been assisted by the Department and the State in this regard.

In his contribution Senator Mac Lochlainn touched on the fact that smaller businesses have not been able to put resources in place because they are put to the pin of their collar day in, day out. Those concerned may be managing their businesses from Monday to Friday and trying to catch up on the paperwork on Saturday and Sunday. Those are the businesses that are facing the difficulties. In the Dublin region, the issue has been raised with me by small bakeries because the vast majority of their raw material is imported from Britain. In many cases, these businesses will have to change their labelling on their packages, which they do not have resources to do. They have not had time to engage. I am not saying the offer of engagement was not in place. I am saying the businesses just did not have the capacity to really engage. They are saying that if their flour no longer comes from Liverpool and they have to get it from France, the product they will offer to their customer will be very different. There is a certain amount of nervousness. I am not sure what the Minister can do about this because the reality in many cases is that a small firm employing one or two people just does not have the resources and is taking a gamble that politicians will come up with a pragmatic solution to the problem of a hard Brexit. As the day comes ever closer, it is feared that a solution will not be found and that businesses will be chasing to catch up.

On the question of resources, Dublin Port has put in a significant amount of resources. I believe it has spent more than €30 million to ensure the free flow of traffic through the port. My concern, however, is about exports and the land bridge.I have taken some time to look at the Port of Calais. It has invested resources to help the free flow of Irish exports through the land bridge. Irish exports will go through customs and exit the port via a separate road. If there is a hard Brexit, I would like Irish support staff to be relocated to French ports to assist in ensuring a free flow of Irish goods through those ports. I accept that our European friends and fellow members of the EU are determined to ensure Ireland is assisted, and I am grateful for that. However, in the weeks after Brexit, given that some Irish lorry drivers will experience language barriers, it would be useful to have Irish staff in place in France to facilitate the free flow of goods across the land bridge into the French ports. Let us provide as much information as possible. I know the Minister is determined to do that and will explore every avenue.

I will not delay the Bill. I am grateful we are dealing with it today rather than in a couple of weeks' time, as it means a certain amount of preparation will have been done. I compliment the Minister's staff and officials in the Department on their tireless work in recent months in preparation for Brexit. It is work they probably hoped they would never have to do but they have put their shoulders to the wheel and delivered the legislation on time. I compliment them on the work they have carried out on that.

The Minister referred to research and development. A draft report produced by the Joint Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation on the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, is winging its way to her. I do not mean to ambush the Minister by raising this issue, on which I do not expect a response. Research and development is key to Ireland's future. Joining CERN as an associate member would present our graduates and scientists with an opportunity to gain experience in international research. We should never underestimate the benefits of networking in research across Europe. While I accept that the committee's proposal would be costly, I want to plant in the Minister's mind the idea that international co-operation in research and development and giving our scientists an opportunity to participate in CERN would be worth considering. It would also send a signal that Ireland is increasing its engagement with our European partners in the area of research.

I wish the Minister the best. I expect this legislation to move speedily through the House. I sincerely hope we will not face a hard Brexit in the coming weeks.