Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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239. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on a recent meeting between his Department and the Revenue Commissioners (details supplied); the guarantees that have been committed to by the British Government to avoid this scenario in view of the impact border checks would have on island wide trade in the agrifood sector. [8029/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department is engaging with whole of Government structures for the co-ordination of Brexit preparations, which include representatives of the Revenue Commissioners, on an ongoing basis.

I understand that the particular meeting referred to took place on 4 January 2018 between officials from the Revenue Commissioners and the IFA, following a request from the IFA. My Department was also represented. The purpose of the meeting was to have a general discussion on customs and other issues in the context of Brexit.

In the Joint Report from the EU and UK on progress during phase 1 of the withdrawal negotiations, published on 8 December 2017, the UK committed to protecting North-South cooperation and avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland. This is to be achieved in the first instance through the overall future EU-UK relationship. If this is not possible, the UK will propose specific solutions to address the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland. In the absence of agreed solutions, the United Kingdom “will maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the all-island economy and the protection of the 1998 (Good Friday) Agreement.” Such arrangements would require regulatory alignment in those areas of sanitary and phytosanitary rules subject to official control checks at the point of import.

Work is now ongoing to ensure that these principles and commitments are reflected in the Withdrawal Agreement, which will be legally binding.