Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Simon Coveney, has the primary responsibility for leading on Brexit negotiations on behalf of the Government. My Department has been making and will continue to make contributions to Brexit discussions, and is providing policy advice relevant to its remit as and when required.

This Department was established to bring a greater level of co-ordination and cohesion to policies that impact rural Ireland and communities in order to ensure that economic recovery can be felt right across the country. Part of that involves ensuring the potential impacts of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union are mitigated in those communities most likely to be affected by Brexit. Regional and rural businesses face enormous potential challenges on this front, particularly in the Border region, and this is relevant across a number of policy areas of my Department. In this context, considerations around the impact of Brexit are shared across different policy areas, rather than being assigned to a single unit or to dedicated staff. In addition, my role in the Cabinet committee on the economy gives me a specific forum to raise issues for rural Ireland relating to the economy, jobs, the labour market, competitiveness, productivity, trade, the Action Plan on Rural Development, and the digital economy, including managing and mitigating the risks associated with Brexit.

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