Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

461. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the threats identified by his Department with regard to the responsibilities of his Department as a result of no deal being reached in Brexit negotiations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26901/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On 2nd May, the Government published a comprehensive document on Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.This document sets out the approach of the Government to the forthcoming negotiations, following the successful campaign to have key Irish issues recognised in the EU negotiation position.

Following on from this publication, work is underway to prepare a further paper on economic implications of the Brexit challenge.  This will draw on the work to date across Departments, which will be developed to mitigate emerging sectorial challenges. These plans will build on ongoing cross-Government research, analysis and consultations with stakeholders, and will reflect the core economic themes of the Taoiseach's speech to the IIEA on 15 February last.

Ireland’s economic interests lie firmly in a strong and well-functioning EU with continued and unfettered access to the single market. There is a lot of negotiation to be done around trading arrangements.  Our contingency work is examining all scenarios and we cannot pre-empt the outcome at this stage.  We are not under any illusions about the complexity of these negotiations and are engaged in detailed planning to prepare for these.

The key issues identified in my Department's extensive consultations and analysis are Brexit's likely impact on the future of the Common Travel Area and its implications for students, teachers, academic staff and researchers, the possible impact on mutual recognition of qualifications, UK/Ireland research collaboration and partnerships between education institutions and enterprise as well as the implications for EU funding for research and the impact on EU funding programmes such as Horizon2020, PEACE IV and Erasmus+.

All of these issues will be factored in to our overall approach to future discussions and negotiations and to our input to Government's preparations for EU-UK negotiations. My Department will continue to consult with the sector interests as necessary through the period ahead.