§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman) of 24 March 1999,Official Report, column 283, what factors underlie her assessment that the impact of the euro on north-south relationships in the island of Ireland in the short term is likely to be limited. [80176]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyOver the past two decades, North-South trade has been subject to exchange rate risk and business is therefore used to dealing with this. Many retail businesses in border areas currently transact using both currencies. Also the volume of North-South trade is unlikely to change significantly in the short term, due to the continuing importance of the Great Britain market to Northern Ireland.