BREXIT, The Irish Border and Construction

The Irish Border is one of the most contentious issues relating to BREXIT. The complex nature of negotiations relate to key aspects of European Union (EU) law brought in by the Treaty of Maastricht, such as free movement of people and work. With 208 official Irish border crossings [1], and a substantial number of unofficial ones resulting in an estimated 270, there are nearly double the amount compared with the EU Eastern border (137). Construction organisations tender for work on both sides of the border with current EU laws allowing unrestricted movement of labour plant and materials to carry out the work. What is missing from the current discussions is the perceptions of construction
organisations north of the border. This paper seeks to examine this knowledge gap via an on-line survey of consultants and contractors. The findings indicate a mixed response to BREXIT with labour likely to be the element most highly impacted after BREXIT and mortar the construction material most impacted.