Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 January 2019
89. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extra preparations he plans to make to facilitate persons and materials travelling through Cork Airport and the Port of Cork in the event of a no-deal Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4133/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraWith regard to the facilitation of the travel of persons, under the Common Travel Area, Irish and British citizens may move freely and reside in either jurisdiction. Both the Government of Ireland and the UK Government have committed to maintaining the CTA in all scenarios.
With regard to the movement of goods, increased connectivity and capacity options direct to the EU are a key part of our preparations and contingency planning for Brexit. In this context, the establishment of a new direct route from Cork to Santander in Spain, creating capacity for 35,000 additional freight units annually, is a very positive development.
Based on an assessment of the scale of trade in goods that are moving between Ireland and ports/airports in the UK, infrastructural measures are being progressed in Rosslare Port, in Dublin Port and in Dublin Airport to facilitate the carrying out of the necessary checks and controls that may be required.
Some €21 billion of Ireland’s exports and imports, including many time-sensitive or perishable goods, are transported by truck on Roll-on/Roll-Off, “RoRo”. shipping services to and through the UK. Dublin and Rosslare ports handle almost all of this traffic.
There are no sanitary and Phytosanitary checks carried out in the Port of Cork. Cork Port is however approved to handle bulk shipments of wood and plant based derivatives at the current container terminal in Tivoli and has been engaging with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in respect of its existing third-country trade (bulk wood products).
We continue to review our infrastructural needs on an ongoing basis and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport's assessment is that there is capacity in other ports, including Cork, should there be a shift from RoRo to alternative services.
Continued investment in Ireland's connectivity through our ports and airports, including Cork Airport and Cork Port, is central to Project Ireland 2040. To this end, the €90 million Port of Cork redevelopment project will bring about improvements to the port infrastructure and connectivity, and will enable the port to accommodate larger vessels, further developing it as an international gateway for trade.
