Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019
8. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Taoiseach the latest economic and jobs data regarding cross-Border trade; the estimated number of employees that cross the Border daily to work in each jurisdiction; the value of same to the local economies; and the number of small businesses that have cross-Border trade in each jurisdiction. [34637/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Central Statistics Office (CSO) published a report at the end of 2016 on “Brexit: Ireland and the UK in Numbers” and has kept key indicators from that report regularly updated in an interactive zone on the CSO website. The 2016 report included detailed tables under the headings of people, business, trade, tourism and transport.
The interactive indicators include key tables on trade in goods, trade in services, employment, migration, and outbound and inbound tourism.
The interactive tables on Ireland and the UK in numbers are available at: https://www.cso.ie/en/interactivezone/visualisationtools/brexitindicators/#
Regarding cross-Border indicators, the latest trade in goods statistics indicate that in the months January to May 2019, exports of goods to Northern Ireland amounted to €897 million and imports were valued at €624 million. In the first five months of 2018, the corresponding figures were exports of €805 million to Northern Ireland and imports of €607 million. In the year 2018, exports to Northern Ireland were valued at €2.034 million and imports were €1.493 million. These trade indicators are not broken down by size of enterprise.
The CSO’s Cross-Border Shopping survey published in December 2018 showed that an estimated 13.6% of households made at least one shopping trip annually to Northern Ireland. The estimated annual expenditure on shopping in Northern Ireland was €458 million. In the Border region, an estimated 44% of households had made at least one shopping trip to Northern Ireland in the past year, with an estimated annual expenditure of €287 million.
Census 2016 recorded 9,336 people who crossed the border daily for work and school, a decrease of 2.1 per cent on the 2011 figure of 9,536. Workers made up three quarters of commuters (7,037) while students accounted for the remainder (2,299). Donegal accounted for the largest number of cross border commuters, with 5,600 commuters, three quarters of whom travelled to County Derry. Counties Monaghan (1,112), Louth (926) and Cavan (493) also had substantial numbers who crossed the border to work and school.
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has also published extensive research and analysis in advance of EU Exit, which is available at the following link: https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/economy/eu-exit-analysis.
