#irishports - The State faces legal and logistical complications in managing a crash-out Brexit and is relying on emergency orders to bypass normal planning procedures to prepare, internal Government documents reveal.

As The Irish Times reports, work on a wide variety of transport issues in the event of a hard Brexit – ranging from assessing the legality of the State leasing ships to safeguard supplies, to reviewing whether Rosslare Port can take private investment – are disclosed in briefing papers prepared for Minister for Transport Shane Ross and released under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.

The Government has ruled out leasing ships, taking ownership of, or running, ferries in the event that the British “landbridge” route to mainland Europe is affected by Brexit because it “could give rise to claims of interference in the market” and complaints under State aid rules from shipping companies, the papers say.

To read more on what the Department of Transport has to say click here.