Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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132. To ask the Minister for Finance if there is a senior official with designated responsibility for Brexit matters in his Department; if so, the grade of the designated official; the funding allocated to the Brexit unit; the cost to date; the anticipated cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17002/17]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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133. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of staff deployed full time in his Department in respect of Brexit; if there is a designated section or unit to deal with Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17018/17]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 133 together.

The Assistant Secretary who heads the EU and International Division of my Department has been designated as the lead official in the Department for Brexit matters.  A dedicated Brexit Unit within the EU and International Division was established in July 2016 to oversee and coordinate Brexit work across the entire Department and to act as a key liaison point, in particular with the Departments of the Taoiseach and of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  There are currently four staff in the dedicated unit which is led at Principal Officer level.  Also, an additional staff member has been assigned to the Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels specifically to deal with Brexit.

We have appointed lead Brexit coordinators at Principal Officer level across all divisions of the Department.  The challenges which we face as a result of Brexit are mainstreamed across all divisions of my Department and this is reflected in business planning.

Brexit resourcing has been managed within existing the paybill allocation. We will continue to monitor the resources needed to respond to specific policy challenges on an ongoing basis.