Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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293. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if Government employment and export targets will be reviewed following the recent ESRI report, The Product and Sector Level Impact of a Hard Brexit across the EU; the way in which Irish exports to the UK would be the most exposed in the EU in a WTO tariff scenario post-Brexit leading to a reduction in 4% of total Irish exports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38272/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The ESRI paper referred to by the Deputy examines only one possible scenario arising from the UK decision to leave the EU. The final arrangements between the UK and EU may not reflect this scenario.

The Deputy will be aware that the precise implications of the UK referendum result will depend on the position of the UK and the results of the negotiations ahead, involving the UK and our EU partners.

However, this research will be of interest not just to Ireland but to all member states in the EU. It clearly demonstrates why membership of the EU's Single Market with common rules and standards and zero tariffs is so important and beneficial for EU trade and for Ireland.

Trade constitutes an increasingly important means of creating more and better jobs and trade opportunities stimulate growth, create employment, and grow economies.

Ireland will be ready to meet the challenge of Brexit. Our planning ahead of the negotiations – both for the risks and opportunities for Ireland – is currently intensifying at both political and official level. We are already working closely with the EU Commission and our EU partners to ensure that we have a shared understanding of the implications and effects of the UK's departure from the EU.

As part of our ongoing Brexit preparations, further research being undertaken by Government will look at the sectorial and firm level impacts of Brexit on our complex trade and investment infrastructure.

We will continue to support the EU in creating open markets and we will ensure that our interests are to the fore in future negotiations with the UK. Ireland will continue to make the most effective use of the framework of bilateral trade agreements and multi-sectoral trade agreements that the EU already has in place under the World Trade Organisation, and to support the opening of new markets by the EU. An important example of this is the recently signed Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada.

Enterprise 2025, Ireland’s National Enterprise Policy, sets out our vision for Ireland to be the best place to succeed in business, delivering sustainable employment and higher standards of living for all. Enterprise 2025 highlighted the importance of sustaining the progress made on diversifying to non-UK markets and we will continue to support enterprises in that regard. We will continue to implement Enterprise 2025 through the Annual Action Plan for Jobs. Our jobs target remains 200,000 new jobs to be created by 2020, with 135,000 of these outside of Dublin. We will work across government to progress any additional specific measures necessary to sustaining and growing jobs in the 2017 Action Plan for Jobs which is currently being developed.