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8th March 2017

Martin Lennon Attends House Of Commons Event

O’Hare & McGovern Managing Director Martin Lennon has met with senior London-based construction industry leaders to discuss the UK’s forthcoming exit from the European Union at a major conference in the House of Commons.

He also spoke with the former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain, Donegal Fine Gael TD, Joe McHugh, the Republic’s Minister for the Diaspora, as well as Dr Alasdair McDonnell, the south Belfast SDLP MP who sponsored the event.

It was organised by the London Irish Construction Network, which was formed by a group of Irish businessmen involved in construction, and whose main objective is to create and encourage new work in Britain.

O’Hare & McGovern are already heavily involved in a number of significant developments in England and Scotland, and Mr Lennon was keen to hear views and opinions on how Brexit will impact on the industry, especially between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

He said:

“At this stage, my main concern is that there is no real plan in terms of movement between the two jurisdictions. That is the real issue. If we had a plan, then we could work with it, and prepare for the future.”

Baron Hain, who was the Northern Ireland Secretary between 2005 and 2007 during his 12 years working in Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s Labour Governments – he became a member of the Lords in 2015 – has demanded that the border with the Republic remain open under any new arrangement with Europe.

Robin Walker MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union, represented the UK Government at the event.

Mr Lennon also met with the SDLP Foyle MP, Mark Durkan.