Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan has warned that the Government is not adequately prepared to deal with the consequences of Brexit.
Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s Brexit spokesperson, said:
“Deal or no-deal, Brexit will have a significant impact on Ireland. With just two weeks to go, I am concerned about how prepared the Government is to deal with the impact.
“There is no clarity on what will be done to prevent food poverty for low-income families in the event of a rise in prices. If tariffs are applied, the price of bread could increase by 30%.
“Even without tariffs, we could face significant increases in food prices with added costs due to customs bureaucracy and disruption at ports. No child should go hungry because this Government has failed to adequately prepare for Brexit.
“There is potential for huge disruption at our ports. There will be additional paperwork and forms to be filled out, which could lead to big backlogs. This will be made worse if people don’t have the right documents. There is still a huge amount of confusion about this.
“There may also be very significant impacts for farmers and for fishing communities. The viability of the fishing industry in many parts of the country is reliant on access to UK waters, and many coastal communities are completely dependent on fishing.
“There is an EU Brexit Adjustment Fund, but there is absolutely no clarity on how much of the fund will come to Ireland or what it will be spent on.
“With just two weeks to go, this simply is not good enough. The Minister for Foreign Affairs must come to the Dáil this evening with answers to these questions.”
December 17, 2020