Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. On the basis of research such as that and research we have been undertaking through our own agencies and in conjunction with the representative bodies we have worked with on a weekly basis on Brexit over the past number of years, we are concerned that a number of companies have yet to engage with the system to deal with Brexit and with our Department and agencies. That is why we have gone to great lengths in the past couple of months to reinforce the message and encourage that engagement and ask companies to get prepared for Brexit. The State is in a position to assist companies through Brexit and through Covid. We have the additional resources in place to do that but we need companies to engage with us, put up their hand, ask for that help and ask us to see how we can engage with them to put them in a stronger position.

Our Department and agencies under our remit have intensified Brexit-readiness preparations over the past couple of weeks. The Tánaiste has written to more than 200,000 companies to ask them to check their system, supply chain and trading conditions, to engage with our agencies, to draw down some of the grants that are available towards more personnel and supports and to avail of the additional financial products to help companies through the early months of Brexit.

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