Paschal Donohoe, the Minister for Finance, has outlined details of the new infrastructure to be installed at Rosslare Port to deal with additional customs checks after Brexit.
Speaking in the Dail today (Thursday, February 28), Minister Donohoe was answering questions from Wexford TD James Browne, who asked the minister for details on the planned changes at Rosslare.
Specifically, Browne asked about a new 16ac site adjacent to the port, for the purpose of sanitary and ‘phytosanitary’ (plant produce) inspections.
The custom site will also feature a dedicated area for live animals and a dedicated office area, plus further office accommodation for another 90 staff.
The minister said that the site is initially being considered a temporary one, but that this assumption is only being made because of the short time frame in which this has to take place – Brexit is currently expected to take effect on March 29.
However, Minister Donohoe said that he expects that the new infrastructure will in fact be permanent.
Browne highlighted that the site is approximately 2km from the port, and the road out of the port is of poor quality; he asked the minister if measures would be put in place to ensure the smooth movement of trucks from one place to the next.
Minister Donohoe explained that a traffic management system will be set up, including a system of automatic registration plate recognition, to track the movement of trucks.
He warned, however, that this system may not be operational in time, in which case alternative arrangements would be made.