Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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757. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he or his officials have discussed the impact of Brexit on Ireland's energy security with his UK and EU counterparts. [11971/17]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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758. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if there have been meetings between his Department's energy policy division and their EU and UK counterparts regarding the impact of Brexit on Ireland's energy supply. [11972/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 757 and 758 together.

As the Deputy is aware the EU has stated that there will be no negotiation without Article 50 notification. However, Ministers and officials, across Government Departments, take every opportunity to discuss the potential impacts of Brexit with our EU and UK colleagues. I have previously outlined meetings in relation to my own Department in  answers to Parliamentary Question 275, answered on 19 January 2017, and Parliamentary Questions 40 and 45, answered on 6 December 2016.

More recently, I have attended two EU Council meetings - the Energy Council on 27 February and the Environment Council on 28 February. I used this opportunity to hold further bilateral discussions on the potential impacts of Brexit on the Irish and European energy sectors with the UK Under-Secretary of State for Industry and Energy, Mr Jesse Norman and the Belgian Minister of Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Development, Ms Marie-Christine Marghem.

In addition, officials from my Department have discussed the potential impacts of Brexit on the Irish energy sector with their EU and UK counterparts. This includes meetings with the European Commission task force and officials from the UK's Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. At these meetings, my officials have presented on Ireland's key Brexit priorities in relation to the energy sector.

These priorities were also presented at the recent All-Island Brexit Civic Dialogue on Energy held on 6 February in Boyle County Roscommon. The provided an opportunity for business, civic and political representatives to discuss and provide feedback on the priorities identified. I am arranging to have a copy of that presentation to be made available on  my Department's website.