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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together.

The international, EU and Northern Ireland division of my Department covers work on all international, EU and British-Irish and Northern Ireland affairs within the Department, including issues relating to Brexit. This division is headed by a Second Secretary General, who also acts as the Irish sherpa for EU business, including Brexit. The total staffing resources of the division, which are kept under ongoing review, currently amount to 24.3 whole-time equivalent staff across a full range of policy areas. The division also supports me in respect of Government consideration of Brexit issues, including the negotiation process, both on the issues that are of unique or particular concern to Ireland and, more generally, the work of Cabinet committee C, which deals with EU affairs and Brexit. The division also supports me in my international role and in all of my international engagements, and provides advice and support to me in respect of Northern Ireland affairs, British-Irish relations and Brexit issues in that context. Staff in other divisions of the Department, notably the economic division, also contribute to Brexit-related work as necessary.

The overall co-ordination of the Government’s preparedness for the UK’s exit from the EU is led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, who also has special responsibility for Brexit. A wide range of co-ordination structures are in place and officials from my Department participate in many of these, as required. The Government is continuing to plan and refine its analysis, building on the range of reports and analysis already produced by Departments, State agencies and the ERSI on the implications of Brexit at the macro level and also at the sectoral level. This ongoing work reflects extensive stakeholder engagement across all sectors. Of course, the exact impacts of Brexit on specific sectors will depend on the negotiations and the nature and scope of the final agreement on the new relationship that exists between the EU and the UK.

Significant measures were announced in budget 2018 and these build on those introduced in budget 2017. They include: €300 million for a Brexit loan scheme for business; increased funding for Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation; a €25 million Brexit response loan scheme for the agrifood sector; and additional supports for capital investment in the food industry and Bord Bia marketing and promotion activities, amounting to over €50 million in total. Increased funding has also been allocated to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including the opening of six new diplomatic missions this year. The budget also allocated an additional capital expenditure of €4.3 billion over four years to allow the State and its agencies to properly plan major infrastructure projects, particularly in transport, while ensuring that communities and businesses can plan ahead. Other measures highlighted in the budget which will help to mitigate Brexit risks include the establishment of a rainy day fund and increased investment in higher education. The public consultation on the rainy day fund is now under way.

Given the scale of the challenge of Brexit, it is of course taken account of in all Government policy areas. For example, Brexit is one of the priority themes in the 2018 Action Plan for Jobs, which will be published shortly and which will include actions to ensure we are Brexit-prepared at both national and enterprise level. Project Ireland 2040, the Government’s national planning framework and national development plan published last Friday, takes full account of the challenges presented by Brexit and will ensure that Ireland is best placed to ensure growth on a sustainable basis into the future.

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