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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 8 together.

The Government has approved the establishment of a total of six Cabinet committees, one of which will deal with EU affairs and Brexit. In particular, this committee will assist the Government in its ongoing consideration of Brexit issues, including input to the negotiation process, both on the issues that are of unique or particular concern to Ireland and more generally. The committee met on 11 September.

The third plenary session of the all-island civic dialogue on Brexit will take place on Thursday, 28 September. It will provide a forum for civic society groups from both parts of the island, with political representatives from across the political spectrum. It will be an important opportunity to update participants on the Brexit negotiations and the Government’s policy response to Brexit. The session will also focus on how both enterprise and communities can best prepare for the challenges of Brexit. To facilitate the widest possible audience, the event will be streamed live on and a report will be published following the event.

Building on the plenary sessions, 19 all-Island sectoral dialogues have been hosted by Ministers since December, attended by more than 1,500 industry and civic society representatives from across the island. Most recently, on 8 September, the Minister for Health hosted in Dundalk an all-island sectoral dialogue on cross-Border health co-operation.

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