Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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554. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures his Department and agencies under his remit are taking to minimise the impact of Brexit on the transportation of medicines here; the engagement he and or his officials have had on the matter with the European Union; the details of discussions he is having on the matter with ministerial colleagues in the UK Government; the measures he plans to put in place to help protect the transportation and logistics elements of the medicines and pharmaceutical export sector in the event of Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9828/20]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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On the specific issue of the transportation of medicines, this is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Health. The Department of Health, the HSE and the HPRA have been working closely on mitigating risks to the supply of medicines and medical devices in various scenarios including Brexit and Covid-19. In that regard, I was happy to assist by meeting all the shipping companies in October 2019 and putting in place with them an arrangement that the transportation of key time-sensitive medicines and medical items as required by the HSE in a Brexit context would be prioritised by them. I had this arrangement extended by my Department in consultation with the shipping companies to cover the Covid-19 situation in March 2020.

Regardless of the outcome of the current EU –UK negotiations, the end of the UK’s transition period, currently due on 31 December 2020, will see the UK no longer applying the rules of the EU’s Single Market and Customs Union. This will bring substantial challenges for supply chains and trade flows and will require checks and controls in both directions on EU-UK trade. These additional requirements are expected to have an impact on the UK landbridge which is a strategically important route to market for many sectors including for medicines and medical supplies.

In relation to the UK landbridge, my Department and the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) have had ongoing liaisons with the ferry companies in planning for the implications of Brexit last year and earlier this year. The ferry companies were confident that they could respond to increased capacity demands on direct services to continental EU ports should the demand arise. This was of considerable assurance to my Department at that time.

COVID 19 has delivered an unprecedented shock to the whole of the Irish economy and to the shipping sector with a significant decline in passenger numbers travelling by sea. Freight has also been affected with substantial declines on some routes. My Department has been working through various channels to assist ports and shipping companies to keep the supply chains operating during this crisis. In particular, the Department has prioritised the issues of maritime connectivity at all stages to assist shipping with a range of practical supports. I am confident that these measures will support these vital transportation services during COVID 19 leaving the industry well placed to provide sufficient freight and passenger capacity, including for the medicines and pharmaceutical export sector, when the UK's transitional period ends.