Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 12 together.

The Department of the Taoiseach has implemented significant restructuring to ensure that Brexit is being treated as a crucial cross-cutting whole-of-Government issue. The amalgamated international, EU and Northern Ireland division was created under a second secretary who also acts as the Government's sherpa for EU business, including Brexit.

2 o’clock

The work of this division includes supporting the Cabinet committee on Brexit and the Cabinet committee on European affairs. There are 32 staff assigned to this division and its resources are being kept under constant review. While the staff in this division deal with a wide variety of issues, Brexit is an increasingly significant factor across the division. Staff in other divisions also contribute to the work on Brexit, for example the economic policy division advises me on economic policy aimed at supporting sustainable economic growth with a particular focus on jobs and competitiveness, including possible economic consequences of Brexit.

Now that the terms on which the negotiations are to be conducted have been established, the Government has stated its intention to intensify its focus on the economic implications of Brexit including on domestic policy, measures to reinforce competitiveness of the Irish economy, to protect it from the potential negative impacts of Brexit and pursue all possible opportunities that might arise. Extensive work is now underway across several Departments on these issues including ongoing analysis of the impacts at sectoral level. Following on from the 2 May publication setting out the approach of the Government to the forthcoming negotiations, work is underway to prepare a further paper on economic implications of the Brexit challenge. This will draw on the work to date across Departments and will build on ongoing cross-government research analysis and consultations with stakeholders and that will reflect the core economic themes already indicated by Government in terms of prudent public finances, improved competitiveness and diversification, special attention to sectors and regions most at risk, economic opportunities and possible EU supports.

See this speech in context