Lawlor expresses concern over potential Brexit queues

WHILE the subject of Rosslare Europort tends to be one of the most discussed in the council chamber these days, it once again came up for discussion when Cllr George Lawlor questioned if a contingency plan was in place to deal with a backlog of trucks in the event of a nodeal Brexit.

‘I note that in Dublin Port they’ve arranged what they’re calling “Operation Purge”,’ Cllr Lawlor said.

‘Basically, it’s a plan that will see trucks and cargo sent out to park up in lay-bys on motorways and that kind of thing to avoid blocking up the port. It seems bizarre.’

‘What I’m wondering though is if we have a contingency plan in place to deal with an increased volume of traffic into Rosslare. Again, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for the port.’

Director of Services Tony Larkin said that ‘ lines of communication are open’ between the council and Revenue and customs on Rosslare. He said they have an ‘active plan to cope with Brexit’ and her personally attended a briefing for hauliers last week to see how things will work.

‘Basically, if you have the correct paperwork, I’m confident that people will be able to move freely through Rosslare,’ he said. ‘We’ve offered whatever assistance we can provide and they are aware people have to live in Kilrane and Rosslare and the place can’t be backed up with queues.’

Mr Larkin encouraged all shipping agents and hauliers to check the Revenue’s web-page to ensure they have all their documents in order.