Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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305. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a Brexit sub-committee has been established in his Department; if so, when the sub-committee was convened; the number of times the sub-committee has met; the number of members on the sub-committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36210/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Management Board of the Department of Social Protection has been fully engaged with the social protection implications of the vote by the UK to leave the EU and the earlier negotiations on the UK’s relationship with the EU and receives regular updates on the key developments relating to Brexit.

Following a decision by the Management Board in November 2015, a sub-group of the Board was established and regular updates are given to the Management Board of the Department. The group is chaired by an Assistant Secretary who is also a member of the Interdepartmental Group on EU UK chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach which has a whole-of-government co-ordination role on Brexit.

The Management Board sub-group undertakes its work in a number of ways, depending on the particular circumstances, including by email, phone exchanges and by way of formal meetings. It comprises 4 members of the Management Board and 2 members of the Department’s EU and International Unit. Other Departmental personnel assist this sub-group as the need requires. The sub-group has held 3 meetings since February 2016.

A Cross-Divisional Group has also been established to examine the detailed implications of Brexit for the various operations of the Department. This group, which comprises representatives from the various payments sections and relevant policy and support sections, met in July 2016 and has undertaken an initial assessment of the implications of Brexit on a scheme by scheme basis.

However, a particular impediment to undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the social protection implications of Brexit is the lack of clarity as to the UK’s intentions in this area. Free movement of EU workers and citizens was one of the central issues involved in the debates leading up to the UK vote to leave the EU. Therefore, the potential social protection implications of that vote are intrinsically linked to the issues involved in the free movement of EU workers and citizens. Until such time as the UK has itself decided what relationship it wishes to have with the EU following its withdrawal, the precise implications of Brexit for the Department of Social Protection will remain unclear.

A number of cross-Departmental Brexit-related committees have been established and are being serviced by members of the Department’s Management Board sub-group, including the Interdepartmental Committee on Brexit and its sub-committee on the Common Travel Area and the Senior Officials Group on EU Affairs. In addition, the Minister for Social Protection is a member of the Cabinet Committee on Brexit, as well as being a member of the North-South Ministerial Council and the British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference.