Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the specific plans she has in place to minimise the impact of Brexit in County Donegal; the engagement she has had with IDA Ireland to ensure it secures new investment in County Donegal in view of Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6183/17]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to minimise the impact of Brexit in County Donegal; the engagement she has had with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to ensure they secure new investment in County Donegal in view of Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6184/17]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister to update the Dáil on her work in relation to this issue.

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 16 together.

Enterprise Ireland, the local enterprise offices and IDA Ireland are engaging on an ongoing basis with all client companies regarding the impacts being felt as a result of Brexit. They have clear plans in place to mitigate challenges and maximise opportunities arising from the UK decision.

In 2017, I secured additional moneys, both current and capital, as a strategic response to Brexit. I have a particular focus on the trade implications for the Border region and am heavily engaged with all stakeholders in the region on an ongoing basis.

InterTradeIreland also has a programme of initiatives to deal with the practical consequences of Brexit for cross-Border trade. The regional action plan for the north-east and north-west area, which has a strong Brexit focus, aims to support 28,000 new jobs across counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth. There is strong progress to date, with 5,600 more people in employment across the region since the start of 2015. Brexit is a standing item in the implementation meetings on the regional action plan for jobs in the north-east and north-west area.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for her response. It is particularly important that the Government is aware of the challenges posed by Brexit for counties such as Donegal because of its geographic location and the fact that over 95% of the county's border is with Northern Ireland as opposed to bordering the Republic. There is no doubt that Brexit poses a significant challenge for the whole island but especially for Donegal where the challenge is even more pronounced.

On the work of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, there must be a significant stepping-up of the efforts to attract employment into the county, particularly by IDA Ireland. The visit numbers in recent years have not been what they should have been. I would like to see the Government and the Minister work with IDA Ireland to ensure that at a national level, companies are given the opportunity and every incentive possible to invest in the county.

I want to raise a particular issue with the Minister concerning cross-Border workers. There are some 14,500 people who, on a daily basis, travel between the North and the Republic. More than 8,000 workers and students from Donegal travel into the North while some 6,500 people travel from the North to the Republic. Nearly 7% of Donegal's working population are employed in Northern Ireland. What is the Government doing to ensure that the issue of cross-Border workers can be safeguarded in light of Brexit and to address the concerns of those people?

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. While he asked me to set up a committee to look at this issue, I can tell him we have a very strong regional action plan for jobs implementation group there. I have met them and they are absolutely working hard to ensure they land jobs in the region and that the jobs that are already there can be sustained. The Deputy made reference to IDA Ireland site visits. Of course, we all want site visits but it is very difficult to make chief executives and senior management go on site visits if they do not want to. It must also be remembered that when jobs are being created they are often within existing IDA Ireland companies. I assure the Deputy that IDA Ireland will work very hard to ensure those jobs are created in the north-west region. I do not believe we need a committee, as we have an excellent implementation group there that is making sure the regional action plan for jobs is implemented.

I am very aware of the cross-Border workers issue. I am sure the Deputy has heard the Taoiseach and Prime Minister Theresa May speak of the importance of the Border and to make sure it is frictionless. That is what we will be doing, to make sure it is easy for people to conduct business and for students to cross the Border on their daily school trips. We will ensure this will be a hugely important negotiating issue in the run-up to the Brexit negotiations.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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With regard to the commentary we have seen so far on the Border issue, especially from Prime Minister May and domestically about not having a return to the borders of the past, it does not count for a lot. If one drills down, nobody is clear on what they are talking about. As I have outlined previously to the Minister, 7.5% of workers in Donegal actually work in Northern Ireland.

6 o’clock

They have very real concerns about the post-Brexit scenario.

I have no doubt things will move very fast from now on, with the legislation having been passed last night in Westminster. The Government must make every effort to identify what the situation is likely to be in terms of cross-Border workings and put in place the resources to deal with that. Will the Minister undertake to consult strongly with the organisations that are already doing work in the area? Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council, for example, have done a great deal of preparatory work and investigation regarding the impact of Brexit. We need a clear plan of action on which we can work in co-operation with our European and British counterparts to ensure that the agreement that emerges is suitable. I emphasise the importance of achieving a particular designation for Northern Ireland within the Brexit context, working with the State on the basis of an all-island economy. We must ensure counties like Donegal do not suffer as much as is likely if a hard Brexit takes place.

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Deputy that these issues are very high on our agenda. I recently hosted a meeting near the Border at Carrick-on-Shannon at which the matters identified by the Deputy were raised. The meeting was attended by more than 250 small and medium business owners, as well as IDA Ireland organisations and representatives of IBEC and the Small Firms Association. We will be fighting hard to achieve a frictionless Border. As the Taoiseach has said, that is one of our main priorities as the negotiations on Brexit begin. I am very much aware of the concerns of the 7.5% of workers in County Donegal whose daily lives would become intolerable if there is a hard physical Border.