Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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255. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of full-time and part-time staff in her trade policy section; the staff increases she is considering for 2017 to deal with developments around Brexit; if staff requests were made in 2016 to strengthen resources; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15994/17]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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257. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff currently in the dedicated Brexit unit within her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15996/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 255 and 257 together.

Staffing levels of my Department, its Offices and Agencies reflect the requirement to manage the pay bill and staff numbers in accordance with Government pay policy with staff resources deployed in the most effective and efficient manner as appropriate to business needs and key priorities at any given time.

An additional €3million was secured in respect of Pay in Budget 2017 and is being targeted specifically to assist in our response to the evolving Brexit scenario. It is enabling the Department and, primarily, our Agencies recruit an additional forty to fifty staff to supplement existing staffing numbers.  In this regard, the dedicated Brexit Unit established within my Department is led at Principal Officer level with a team of three staff (i.e. a total of four), to be reviewed further in line with the necessary workload as the Unit’s agenda unfolds.  In relation to the number of staff serving in the Trade Policy and Export Licensing Section, there are currently 19 staff in 18.1 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) positions in this Unit.  This is an increase from 16 and 15.5 respectively from January 2016.

In addition, of course, the work of very many other Business Units across my Department is impacted by Brexit and the 2017 business plans for these Units have factored in Brexit implications for their work. 

Further additional staffing demands relating to Brexit - and other key priorities - have been combined into a workforce planning process spanning the years 2017-19 which is currently being concluded. This process was coordinated by my Department's HR Unit and reviewed the level of resources assigned across all Divisions of my Department in relation to the current strategic priorities of my Department, including Brexit-related activity.  Arising from this exercise, additional resources will be secured to support the work of the Brexit Unit, the Trade Policy and Export Licensing Unit and other Business Units whose work is impacted by Brexit related priorities.