Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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348. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of staff within his Department who are allocated to work on Brexit-related issues full time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3755/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Following the outcome of the referendum in the UK in June 2016 and in line with the Government’s contingency plans prepared in advance, additional capabilities and resources are being assigned to cover the complex process of the UK exit from the EU.

I am happy to set out the resources which are in place in my Department as of today. Within my Department, the key Divisions are the European Union Division and the Ireland, UK and Americas (IUKA) Division, both headed at Second Secretary General level. Additional resources have been assigned to both Divisions to cover the issues arising from the UK exit process. The European Union Division contains a specific team focused on the EU-UK negotiations. Within the IUKA Division, there are teams focused on Northern Ireland and on wider British-Irish Relations; their duties include Brexit related issues.

In effect, most branches of the Department at its headquarters in Dublin are involved in some way as part of the response to the UK exit, for example the Legal Division, the Trade Division and also the Policy Planning Unit. In addition, there is also an intra-Departmental senior management group on issues relating to the UK exit, chaired by the Secretary General and comprising senior officials from across all relevant business units of the Department.

In addition, a number of officers of my Department are seconded to the Department of the Taoiseach and working on EU matters, while two officers are seconded to the International and EU Relations Division of the Department of Finance.

In terms of Irish offices focused on work relating to the UK exit, specific posts have been assigned to our Embassies in London, Berlin, and Paris as well as the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels and at HQ in Dublin. The Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels has a unit dedicated to managing our response to this issue.

These measures comprise the initial phase of our response to the UK decision to leave the EU and matters remain under review as the Government carries out its work in response to the UK referendum decision and as preparations for the forthcoming negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU intensify.

In general terms, all of our diplomatic Missions across the EU and further afield are working on this issue.