Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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153. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of staff dedicated to managing Ireland's response to the decision of the United Kingdom to exit the European Union; the structure of this team; how it will work with teams in other Departments; who has overall responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20308/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Staff in the EU and International section of the Department of Social Protection, in addition to their role in supporting the Department on EU and International matters generally, manages the social protection implications for Ireland of the decision of the United Kingdom to exit the European Union. This role involves liaising with colleagues both across the Department and in other departments as required. The Department is also a member of cross Departmental Group chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach on this matter.

The Department’s EU and International section is headed by an Assistant Secretary and is staffed by a Principal Officer, three Assistant Principal Officers including one based in the Permanent Representation in Brussels, three Higher Executive Officers, one Executive Officer and two Clerical Officers. A sub-group of the Department’s Management Board is in place to report on this matter to the Management Board and the Secretary General who has overall responsibility for the operations of the Department.