Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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31. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will report on the assessments which are taking place to determine the way each industry and business sector here will be affected by Brexit; her views on whether these effects may be positive or negative; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6179/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The United Kingdom’s decision to leave Brexit will have a profound impact on our economy and preparing for its impact is the main priority in my Department.  Central to this is a thorough understanding of its impacts, positive and negative, on enterprise – both in general and on a sectoral level.

The impact of Brexit was a foremost consideration in the production of the recently-published Action Plan for Jobs 2017. This year’s 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.

Since the Brexit result was announced, I have attended many events on a daily basis at which I engage with stakeholders and listen to their views about challenges and opportunities that it will bring.  I have also met with a wide range of representative organisations, including IBEC, ICTU, ISME, the Small Firms Association, the Irish Exporters Association, the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, and the Irish Farmers Association.

I welcome the analyses and reports published by representative organisations identifying challenges for their sectors. These are important inputs to the Government's considerations.

I have had discussions about the impacts of Brexit at the Retailers Forum which I chair and it is a regular item for discussion at the Regional Action Plan for Jobs implementation Committees.

In addition, my Department held a major stakeholder engagement event in Carrick-on-Shannon on 30 January to hear the views of all stakeholders.

My officials have also met a range of organisations and individual firms and relayed their concerns to me.

I am very aware of the importance of monitoring developments that effect Irish enterprise and ensuring we have coherent responses being developed. This is reflected my Department’s production of a suite of enterprise sector briefs. These briefs, which draw on up-to-date information sources and the expertise of key players, provide a synopsis of the current state-of-play in a number of enterprise sectors that are key to Ireland’s economic fabric. They provide a commentary on opportunities for growth and priority actions needed.  The reports will be updated on a rolling basis and will be continue to take account of all related developments, including Brexit. 

Assessment of the impact of Brexit on all aspects of society, including enterprise, is being coordinated by the Department of An Taoiseach.  Within my Department, a risk assessment of the potential impacts of Brexit across policy areas has been conducted and has fed into the national level assessment. 

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). Many of these are listed on the 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 a more indepth assessment of the way in which Brexit will affect individual sectors of the economy, and enterprises operating within them. It is planned that the pilot study will be completed by the end of Q1. 

My Department is also funding analysis through 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. I am aware also of sectoral-level assessments being conducted by Bord Bia and the Department of Finance of the food and international financial services sectors respectively.