It is Government policy to promote and protect Irish exports and imports. The haulage sector needs a properly functioning, and more importantly, very reliable Revenue customs system. Unfortunately, in the past number of months, Revenue's online automated export system and automated import system, AES and AIS as they are known, have routinely dropped creating very long delays and additional and unacceptable costs for hauliers at ports, meaning they cannot have their goods cleared and approved. Hauliers have highlighted their ongoing concerns and frustration on this matter with me. I tabled a parliamentary question to the Minister for Finance asking for direct information from Government. Unfortunately, this has not happened yet and hauliers are still experiencing these increasing problems. However, it is not only the hauliers this will damage; this will damage our international reputation as a high-export country. I ask the Minister if he will ensure that Government intervenes immediately with Revenue.

I thank the Deputy and will certainly liaise with the Minister for Finance, Deputy McGrath, on the fact that she has raised this matter today. The haulier and transport sector is the lifeblood of our economy, particularly as an export-orientated country that imports quite a bit as well. The sector makes the economy tick and go around. It is can be quite a difficult business at times and it has had its challenges over the past few years, particularly because of the extra challenges posed by Brexit. We have worked as a Government to put the infrastructure and the systems in place to try to make business and transport flow as effectively as possible. I will certainly raise these issues with the Minister and I have no doubt he will engage with the hauliers as he too recognises how important they are to our economy.