BREXIT BRIEFING
200 ATTEND MEETING ORGANISED AND HOSTED BY MINISTER PAUL KEHOE IN ENNISCORTHY ON THE GOOD AND THE BAD THAT MAY STEM FROM BREXIT
ALMOST two hundred people from all walks of life gathered in the Riverside Park Hotel for the Fine Gael Public meeting on Brexit, called by Minister Paul Kehoe.
‘I was delighted with the level of interest shown by the people of Wexford as this was an important opportunity to hear their concerns and to be able to lay out for them the government’s plans,’ said the minister following the meeting, which took place on Monday night last week.
“There is no doubt that there are challenging times ahead with regard to Brexit but it was important to assure people that we are doing all that is possible to plan for the worst case scenario and take advantage of any opportunity that may present itself,’ he said.
The keynote speaker for the meeting was Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar, who provided the crowd with a detailed overview of the approach being taken by the government, highlighting the key negotiating priorities, the main risks and the successes to date.
Rowena Dwyer, Chief Economist, from the IFA, demonstrated the extensive preparation that has been undertaken by her organisation in identifying the risks and in working with the government to put in place safeguarding plans for the industry.
Neil Hughes, Baker Tilly Hughes Blake provided some very sound advice for businesses:
‘Don’t panic, be flexible, prepare to diversify,’ as a means for surviving and indeed thriving as Brexit unfolds.
Karl Fitzpatrick, the President of Wexford Chamber of Commerce, high- lighted a number of opportunities that may open up, such as the possibility of enticing foreign students from the UK to Irish Universities.
Mr Fitzpatrick focused on the opportunities that Brexit could deliver for Ireland, particularly noting the revenue which could be generated from EU Framework Contracts with an estimated annual value of €140 billion.
The UK has been the most successful country in the EU in terms of winning these contracts, however they will soon be ineligible to tender for these valuable projects
Verona Murphy, the New Ross-based President of the Irish Road Haulage Association outlined the impact the a hard border would have on the haulage industry and the knock-on effects that this would have on all goods and services across the country.
The final speaker of the night, Nicholas Dunne, of Killowen Farm, who detailed how his business has already evaluated the risks being posed by Brexit and the steps that he is taking to seek out new markets and develop his business – his concluding words, ‘plan better, plan harder and plan faster’ provided a fitting end to the speeches. A robust Question and Answer session hosted by John Burke- O’Leary, Enniscorthy Chamber of Commerce followed the speeches, where there was an honest conversation about the concerns from the audience and suggestions for going forward were taken on board.
Summing up the meting Minister Kehoe Stated: ‘I believe is key to surviving Brexit will be preparation and planning and we are extremely lucky to have such pro-active, positive and forward thinking organisations throughout the Country representing the various sectors and working together to seek the best possible outcome for Ireland.’
DON’T PANIC, BE FLEXIBLE, BE PREPARED, KEY TO SURVIVING BREXIT WILL BE PREPARATION AND PLANNING