Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2020
227. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Transport his views on the potential negative impact on the movement of Irish freight within and outside the EU due to a disorderly Brexit; and his plans to address the matter. [28635/20]
View answerRegardless of the outcome of the EU-UK negotiations, the end of the transition period will see the UK no longer applying the rules of the EU’s Single Market and Customs Union. This will have immediate implications for trade flows, particularly to UK markets but also to wider EU markets via the UK Landbridge.
The UK landbridge is an important means of access to the single market, one that is favoured by traders in high value or time sensitive goods because it offers significantly faster transit times than alternative routes. As such we continue to work positively with our EU partners on addressing challenges in EU ports for traffic in transit via the landbridge. However, the Government has pointed out for some time now including in our 2019 and 2020 readiness plans that there will likely be delays at ports immediately after the end of the transition period, with Dover-Calais identified as a particular likely bottleneck. This is outside of our control.
The process for moving goods by direct ferry routes between Ireland and other EU Member States will not be subject to new procedures. Following ongoing consultation with the shipping sector, and given the responsiveness of the shipping companies during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is my Department’s assessment that sufficient capacity should be available on direct routes to continental ports following the end of the UK’s transition period.
The performance of the shipping industry in responding to the challenges of Covid-19 has been impressive, including with a number of new direct services to Continental Europe having been established between Irish and continental ports, during the pandemic. This indicates a high level of resilience, adaptability and commitment by shipping companies in serving Irish customer needs and the Irish market.
My Department is confident that the shipping industry serving Ireland is open and competitive, is responsive to market demand and capable of responding to any increase in demand for direct connectivity to Continental Europe at the end of the transition period. I encourage engagement between traders, hauliers and ferry companies to align capacity with needs and I would encourage traders, where it is feasible to do so, to avoid the risk of disruption by moving to direct services now and not wait until after 1 January 2021.
As regards air freight, Department officials have been working closely with stakeholders in the aviation sector to prepare them for the changes to come at the end of the Brexit Transition period. The Government’s Brexit Readiness Action Plan has a section on air travel with advice to businesses on what steps to take in order to be Brexit ready. This would apply to those involved in air freight, as well as passenger transport. Similar readiness preparations have been made at European level. It is not anticipated that the changed regulatory regime for aviation between the EU and the UK will have any direct impact on the movement of freight by air.
