Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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264. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if an additional €3 million has been allocated by her Department in 2017 to the evolving Brexit scenario; the number of full-time and part-time staff hired since 1 January 2017 under this budget allocation; the amount allocated to each State agency to date in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25205/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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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 some 40 to 50 additional staff to supplement existing staffing numbers.  These numbers may grow as Agencies allocate additional Own Resource Income, by agreement with the Department, to recruit further staff to work on "Brexit-related" activity. 

The additional €3m has been allocated across

- Enterprise Ireland (€1,700,000)

- IDA Ireland (€750,000)

- Science Foundation Ireland (€150,000)

- The Health and Safety Authority (€150,000), and

- The Department itself (€250,000)

In relation to Enterprise Ireland, my Department has sanctioned an additional 39 posts with EI supplementing the “Brexit” pay allocation with additional Own Resource Income. 12 of the 39 posts have been filled. The remaining 27 are actively being sourced through recruitment processes.

IDA Ireland has sought 21 additional staff resources in order that it can meet the jobs and investment targets set out in its Strategy – “Winning Foreign Direct Investment 2015 – 2019” - and to meet the global challenges of 2017 and beyond with Brexit key among the identified challenges.  The Agency also submitted a staff resourcing strategy to the Department in July 2016 which sought sanction for retention of the 35 staff hired on 3-year fixed term contracts under the Winning Abroad Programme.  IDA has also sought to reinstate its Graduate Recruitment Programme on a three year contract basis.  These latter two requests are still under consideration.  Currently, IDA has official sanction to recruit 10 additional “Brexit” staff members. One of the Brexit staff members has been recruited with one other post close to being finalised.

Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) have designated three new posts to have specific Brexit related responsibilities and duties.  These posts have been enabled by an increase in the Foundation’s pay allocation in 2017 for Brexit specific recruitment.  While these posts have yet to be filled, recruitment is currently underway.

The Health & Safety Authority has identified a need for an additional 2 “Brexit” staff and while formal approval for one of the posts has been obtained, approval for the remaining post is still awaited at Departmental level.

Finally, in respect of these Agencies, it must also be borne in mind that all these Agencies will have prioritised the Brexit implications arising for them in their individual work plans for 2017 and beyond which serving staff will contribute to as part of their day-to-day work. In this regard the staffing of these Agencies is set out below.

- EI had 575 staff in 564 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of upwards of 39 staff takes effect.

- IDA had 268 staff in 259 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of upwards of 21 staff takes effect.

- SFI had 47 staff in 46.5 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of 2 additional staff takes effect.

- HSA has 167 staff in 159 Full-Time Equivalent posts before Brexit-specific recruitment of 2 additional staff takes effect.

In respect of my own Department, the additional resources have funded the establishment of our dedicated Brexit Unit at present comprising 4 staff at Principal, Assistant Principal, Higher Executive and Clerical Officer levels.