Paschal Donohoe has said 400 extra customs staff will be recruited before the end of March to deal with a new Brexit customs scenario. And another 200 will come on stream soon after that.

Speaking in the Dáil last week, the finance minister also said he would provide extra resources to Revenue if they were needed.

Meanwhile, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has called on the Government to abandon plans for tax cuts, and instead earmark €500 million to deal with the possible fallout of a hard Brexit.

In a briefing document published last week, ICTU says a British crash-out from the EU later this month would bring substantial job losses, food price hikes, and a dent in public finances.

Last week, the chief executive of Dublin Port said the number of lorries travelling through Dublin from outside the EU would rise by 800,000 if there was a hard Brexit.