On behalf of Regional Group, I wish the Captain of the Guard, Mr. John Flaherty, the very best of luck in the future. I had the honour of serving in the Defence Forces with him back in the 1980s and representing the Defence Forces' GAA team in Australia. I wish him and his family the best of luck going forward.

Last month, the British Prime Minister set a deadline of 15 October for an agreement on the trade agreement with the EU, which is today. Given that the Prime Minister, Mr. Johnson, publicly stated that if we cannot agree it, he does not see there will be a free trade agreement between us and we should both accept that and move on, can the Tánaiste give the House an update on the negotiation?

Can the Tánaiste confirm that preparations are in place in the event of a no-deal Brexit and there will be no physical custom checks at the Border? Will cross-Border workers be affected? Will cross-Border agencies be affected? In the event of a no-deal Brexit, will we revert back to the WTO terms? I am in daily contact with many businesses along the Border which are extremely concerned that preparations are not in place for a hard border and we are sleepwalking into a dangerous and potentially damage situation.

The negotiations are ongoing. We do not accept any artificial deadline and negotiations will continue between the European Union and the UK on a free trade agreement. Preparations largely led by my Department are being made to prepare businesses for the changes that will take place no matter what on 1 January when the UK leaves the Single Market and the customs union. I wrote to every business - all one quarter of a million of them - personally last week setting out exactly what they need to do to prepare for the changes and how they can get advice and financial support from Government to do so.

No preparations are being made for a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland because there will not be one. No preparations are being made in that regard. If, however, the UK leaves the Single Market and customs union without a free trade agreement, then we will trade with Britain on WTO terms.

On my own behalf and that of the Rural Independent Group, I pay fulsome tribute to the Captain of the Guard, Mr. Flaherty, on his retirement. I thank him for his sincere and genuine engagement with Members, staff and everybody else over the years. I have known him for the last 14 years. I wish him a happy and successful retirement.

I have a constituent who, like many others, took his driving test last January and unfortunately failed it. He was due to retake it in February but could not due to the pandemic. Now he cannot get a test and many other people cannot get licences. His father has to drive him to Waterford every day for college and now they are being stopped at checkpoints. His father has gone back to work now as he is a múinteoir scoile. There are many elderly people and ordinary people who are driving but their licences cannot be renewed now. There was a chance given in March for people to get a waiver until the end of August but that has ended. Will the Tánaiste ask the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, to extend the timeframe again for people because of the huge backlog? I am not blaming the people in the National Driver Licence Service. I also ask the Tánaiste if he will ask the Minister for Transport to look at giving young drivers who have done the required number of lessons and can get a sign-off from their instructor a chance to drive unaccompanied in this time of serious pandemic when there are not supposed to be two or more people in a car. It is a very serious situation for people who cannot go to college or to work. They are advised not to take public transport but there are many others as well who cannot get the licence for work or have grandchildren to take to school. I ask the Tánaiste if he will ask the Minister of State to extend the moratorium.

I will have to come back to the Deputy on that. I will ask the Minister of State to correspond directly with him on it.