Written answers

Tuesday, 15 January 2019

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Brexit Issues

Photo of Kevin O'KeeffeKevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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957. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the contingency plans being put in place, planned or considered should there be a no-Brexit deal at the end of March 2019 in relation to goods and vehicles exiting and entering ports at Cork and Rosslare. [1630/19]

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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A major impact on ports and airports that trade with the UK will be the additional customs, agriculture and health controls required to be in place within those locations once the UK leaves the EU.

Since last summer an interdepartmental group – including the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Department of Health, along with the Office of Public Works – has been meeting to prepare the measures required at ports and airports. The Group is now chaired by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Following an initial assessment of the potential impacts of Brexit taking account of their trading levels with the UK, the group focused its work on the Ports of Dublin and Rosslare and Dublin airport. Other ports and airports, with less of a reliance on the UK market, are each reviewing and planning for Brexit as part of their ongoing internal operational planning. This includes the Port of Cork.

In relation to Rosslare Port, the work of the group has included identifying the staffing, IT, infrastructural and operational requirements at the port. The Government's contingency action plan published in December 2018 sets out the actions being undertaken to implement the measures required. Planning for both the central case and a no-deal case are taking place in parallel. In relation to the no-deal planning, the OPW and relevant Departments, including my Department, are liaising with Rosslare in order to ensure that the necessary staffing, ICT and site and infrastructure requirements are in place by 29 March 2019.

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