Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

681. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will commission a detailed assessment of the way in which Brexit will affect individual sectors of the economy to determine which industries may be positively or negatively impacted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5520/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

A significant consideration in drawing up the recently published Action Plan for 2017 is Brexit and the changing global trading environment. This year’s Action Plan is at the core of the government’s response to the huge challenge these pose for businesses - to make sure our enterprise base is resilient in the face of changes to come.

The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union will have a significant impact on our economy and I have tasked my Department with making Brexit our number one priority. Central to this is understanding those impacts, positive and negative, across all policy areas of my Department and at a sectoral level.

In this context my Department has conducted a risk assessment of the potential impacts of Brexit across policy areas which has fed into the national level assessment led by the Department of Taoiseach. My Department has since been working with the enterprise development agencies to mitigate risks and maximise opportunities and I am providing additional staff resources to Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland this year. I have also taken every opportunity to hear the views of sectors and companies. I have met with a wide range of representative organisations. In addition, my Department held a large stakeholder engagement event in Carrick-on-Shannon on 30 January to hear the views of all stakeholders.

In terms of research, there have been a number of studies published which set out the potential impacts of Brexit, including sectoral assessments (e.g. tourism, agri-food), and many of these are listed on merrionstreet.ie website. With regard to sectoral impact specifically my Department is currently scoping and undertaking research to examine the implications for the most exposed enterprise sectors - in terms of trading and economic relationships - of the UK being outside of the European Single Market and Customs Union. This research will inform an assessment of the way in which Brexit will affect individual sectors of the economy.

Further, my Department is also working on a review with InterTrade Ireland on the North-South trade implications of Brexit. This project will provide an understanding of the impact of different trade and tariff regimes which might be imposed following Brexit.