Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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361. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform 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. [26908/17]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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On 2 May 2017 the Government published a position paper setting out its comprehensive approach to the Brexit negotiations.  The paper includes an analysis of the economic and sectoral implications of Brexit for Ireland, and sets out the Government's strategy for responding to this challenge.  Detailed and intensive work on this is continuing across Government.

Now that the EU has agreed its negotiating position, the Government will intensify its focus on the economic implications of Brexit and will produce a further paper on this issue.  

Our contingency work is examining all scenarios and we cannot pre-empt the outcome at this stage.

A key issue for which my Department has responsibility is Ireland's Cooperation Programmes with the UK that are co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, including the North South PEACE and INTERREG Programmes.  As part of the contingency planning undertaken by the Government prior to the UK referendum, my Department identified the risks to these EU-funded programmes in the event that the UK voted to leave.

Following the result of the referendum, my short-term objective was to secure the programmes and give programme beneficiaries the confidence they need to proceed with projects.  This was achieved last October when, along with the Northern Ireland Finance Minister, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, I was able to announce that we had agreed a safeguard clause that would Brexit-proof letters of offer to programme beneficiaries.

Now that this has been achieved, the medium term objective is to see these programmes successfully implemented out to 2020, through a period during which the UK is expected to leave the EU.  The safeguard clause should ensure that this can happen.  My long term objective is to have successor programmes post-2020.  Work is already underway to secure this objective.  I raised the matter at the recent Cohesion Policy meeting of the EU’s General Affairs Council in Luxembourg where I also discussed it bilaterally with the Regional Policy Commissioner, Corina Cre?u.