The Irish Government is ill prepared for all possible Brexit outcomes and has only made preparations in the case of there being an orderly departure from the EU, claims Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Brexit, Lisa Chambers TD.

Deputy Chambers made her comments on foot of a publication on Budget 2019 from the Parliamentary Budget Office which found that "no sensitivity analysis" has been provided by the Government on the impact of changes to the Irish output induced by a ‘hard’ Brexit on revenue and expenditure projections.

“The independent Parliamentary Budget Office has highlighted that the central scenario underpinning macroeconomic forecasts is based on an ‘orderly’ Brexit and has warned that it may not be prudent to plan on that basis," she said.

“I, and my colleagues in Fianna Fáil, have consistently called for the Government to prepare for all scenarios including a hard Brexit and no deal Brexit.

"The Government has repeatedly told us that they are operating on that basis but this report highlights that this is not the case.

“I recognise that the Brexit negotiations are evolving and whilst I hope that agreement is reached on the terms of the Withdrawal and the future trading relationship it is in my opinion best to err on the side of caution given the difficulties to date in resolving the backstop and also taking into account the severe negative impact that a hard or no deal Brexit could have on Ireland."

She continued: “Assuming that an orderly Brexit will materialise and that everything will fall into place is a reckless approach to what is one of the gravest economic threats that this State has ever faced.

"With only months to go to March 2019 the Government need to take heed of this warning and be more prudent in their in their planning for Brexit as advocated by the Parliamentary Budget Office."

Great to meet @ClaireHanna and @SteveAikenUUP with my colleague @NiallCollinsTD at Stormount today to discuss #Brexit and the impact on NI and the entire island. Cross party dialogue is so important as we navigate this huge challenge facing us. @fiannafailparty pic.twitter.com/iHIyCGQeuB

— Lisa Chambers TD (@lichamber) 17 de octubre de 2018