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OF ALL THE Irish businesses that traded with the UK in 2018, just 0.59% have attended the government’s one-day workshops.
In response to a question from Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy, the government said that Revenue had identified over 90,000 businesses which traded with the UK in 2018. But four months out from the latest Brexit deadline, just 531 businesses have taken part in the Brexit prep one-day workshops run in all counties by Local Enterprise Offices.
“Open to businesses of all sizes,” Troy said, “these customs workshops educate businesses on the potential impacts and procedures they will need to adopt when trading with a third country outside the Single Market and Custom Unions.
“The workshops cover vitally important areas such as tariffs, export and import procedures.”
Troy called on Business Minister Heather Humphreys to immediately launch a national awareness campaign to increase the update in these workshops.
This week, Tánaiste Simon Coveney said that a no-deal Brexit is more likely than ever, which could bring about an increase in those who are unemployed by up to 55,000. Tariffs between Ireland and the UK would increase significantly on some goods – agrifoods in particular will be hit with long delays travelling through the UK as well as high tariffs.
To learn more, here’s the government’s Getting Brexit Ready site here, Bord Bia’s Brexit Hub here, or an example of the supports offered by your Local Enterprise Office here.
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The other 89 thousand are probably bored of listening to brexit related stuff already.
@Marc Murphy: and they also probably expect the Irish government to stick up for all their interests, not just the EU’s interest…
@Mushy Peas: I was listening to a radio programme during the week where a spokesperson for The Irish road haulage association wanted revenue to put customs staff in their businesses to do their customs paper work ! They’ve had the best part of 3 years to prepare and buried their heads in the sand !
I’ve honestly never attended a work workshoo that was worthwhile to be fair
@Alexandra Zarrah: Same. I’ve been to so many and never learn anything at them that I didn’t know from just googling the topic and reading the legislation.
i don’t know what a tracker mortgage is?
@Ananya Sharma: they’re extinct
Like many other businesses I have been at many government organized work shops. To be honest most civil servants that run these events live in a different world to real businesses who learn to cope and deal with regulators and regulations very quickly. I presume most agree with me that we can use our time better.
When the sh@t hits the fan there will be terrible whinging about how the government are failing to help businesses affected. The very same businesses that didn’t bother to prepare.
@Mary Josephine: that’s your assumption, probably sick of listening to the government, that are running this country into the ground.
Good man coveney! Coveney went to russia recently and told them ireland wants to increase trade with russia while at the same time the EU is imposing sanctions with russia. People called it a naive mistake. Firstly, If an “outsider” politician said that, the career politicians would be shouting saying the person isn’t fit for the job. Secondly, coveney loves making statements about other countries as irish minister for foreign affairs, his credibility is dented now in russia and whoever else hears this. And thirdly, spending so much time in the EU working on brexit, apparently doing such great work, doesn’t know fundamental EU policy like this, maybe not doing such a great job in the EU after all.
May be just may be they do not trush the goverment or Europe and they beleive that they themselfs can steer through it without the interverance or having propaganda from Irish/European goverment. May just may they have been planning for it. Because some of these companys came through the last recession that was not caused by them, and while the irish/Europe government screwed them and their employees over. These people and their employees will get up each morning and go out to work and plough through it Brexit or no Brexit goverment hand fecking it up or not. Some how our goverment and europe will impose a new tax.
I’m old enough to be cynical about politicians and also to remember the government leaflets during the Cuba crisis. The advice then boiled down to get under the stairs put a sandbag over your head and kiss your ar5e goodbye
50 years on technology and PR companies have refined the message but it’s fundamentally the same
Maybe they cant afford the time off. Alot of these people work extremely hard to keep the wolf from the door
Just a thought, but for a small business taking a day out (or even half day) is not that easy. Maybe, if our Gov made use of technology and streamed the workshop live then SME etc would be more inclined to participate. 3rd level institutions can deliver lectures this way (Sligo IT) so it’s not rocket science.
Britain vote to leave….Our Government then say Brexit talks are going fine..Then the S..t hits the fan in the House of commons ..our Government now say Hard Brexit and No Deal Brexit …Since day one every dog on the street knew that Britain wanted to leave on their terms and their terms only ..Why have we wasted so much time in trying to do deals with a Country that want to leave..We as a Block of Countries are going to put Tariffs on goods coming from outside of the Union as much as Britain will do the same …So all of a sudden this one day work shop will solve all our problems…British companies have been setting up offices here in this country and other EC cities since day one.We need to stop putting all our eggs in one basket
Why would a business waste time to attend a nonsense FG propaganda shop that scaremongers about something that is not a problem?
@Mike Conway: hmmm. So the UK leaving the EU is not a problem? Especially if it is a “no deal” Brexit?
Just a few realities. At the moment there are no customs formalities on any import or export trade with the UK. In 2018 Irish Customs processed about 180k customs declarations (between import and export). After Brexit, whatever form that takes, there will be a 10fold increase in customs declarations. The overwhelming majority of companies trading with the UK have never dealt with Customs formalities before. That is just one aspect.
@Rudy de Groot: the workshops I attended (being in the transport and logistics industry) were well structured and informative. One example of one of my clients in the food industry. The way their current supply chain is set up, having raw materials on both sides of the Irish border, is that their products cross the border 5 times before you see it in the shops. If a Customs regime has to be imposed because of Brexit (with customs duties payable) it will be an incredible imposition on this client. And there are 1000ands in similar positions. So no problem????
Yep and they’ll all cry about it and look hand outs after it lazy idiots
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