I very much welcome the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the creation of a new framework for the EU-UK relationship.
The Agreement which covers market access provisions, tariff-free and quota-free trade as well as provisions aimed at preventing unnecessary technical barriers and requirements, is very welcome although it represents a significant departure from the trading environment that previously obtained between Ireland and the UK.
It is less than two months since the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into effect and, while businesses are currently experiencing the more immediate impacts of new customs documentation and SPS checks, it will take some time before we fully understand the medium and longer term impacts of the Agreement on sectors of the Irish economy.
That is of course where my focus lies. I have no role or function in relation to the UK Government's intentions with regard to any examination or impact assessment that they might consider on the impacts on the UK economy of the EU-UK trade deal.