Elisha McCallion (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I take the opportunity, while debating this Bill, to highlight a serious situation for businesses whose operations straddle the Border. They are facing the prospect of being cut off from potential funding from the EU for their businesses because of the Border and because the British Government has decided to leave the EU. These are some of the most vulnerable businesses in the country. The withdrawal of the British Government from the EU means there will be a shortfall in EU funding for many businesses and other projects across the North. As a result of the withdrawal Act and the Irish protocol, the North will remain inside the EU in respect of certain matters which, of course, is good. However, to ensure that every effort is made for the EU to fund projects and business, the Government will need to position itself as a conduit for ongoing funding from the EU into the North. In this instance, I am speaking specifically about businesses whose operations straddle the Border.

The Government needs to avoid the mistakes its predecessor made in rolling out the pandemic unemployment payment. Those mistakes resulted in cross-Border workers not being able to avail of the funding in this regard. These businesses include companies, sole traders and the self-employed, many of whom pay taxes in this State and in the North. The Government needs to engage proactively with the relevant agencies in Europe to ensure a stream of much-needed funding for these businesses along the Border which are dealing with the impact of the virus and the uncertainty caused by the British Government's decision to leave the EU. The Government needs to ensure that the regulations which come forward as a result of this legislation are compatible with the needs of cross-Border workers and businesses whose operations straddle the Border.