Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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1617. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the development of sectorial response plans to Brexit, the publication date of these plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38701/17]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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1618. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the issues identified for consideration in the context of Brexit including opportunities and their prioritisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38717/17]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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1619. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the details of issues identified for consideration in the context of Brexit including threats and their prioritisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38733/17]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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1620. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the scenario planning that has been conducted by his Department for Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38749/17]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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1621. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the methodology employed in the prioritisation of responses to Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38765/17]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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1622. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the funds that have been requested in response to threats resulting from Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38781/17]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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1623. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the funds have been allocated in response to threats resulting from Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38813/17]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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1625. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his Department's priorities for risk mitigation in response to Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38845/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1617 to 1623, inclusive, and 1625 together.

The comprehensive document “Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union: The Government’s Approach” published on 2 May 2017 outlined in detail the structures put in place by the Government to ensure a strategic and whole-of Government response to Brexit that ensures a coordinated approach to the identification of key priority issues for the EU-UK negotiations and the wider domestic response.

Since the publication of the comprehensive document, the Government has sought to further increase its strategic oversight of Brexit through the addition of a dedicated responsibility for Brexit matters to the role of the Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade. The Cabinet Committee structures have also been reformed and a new Cabinet Committee has been established to deal with EU Affairs including Brexit.

The Government’s National Risk Assessment 2017, which provides a systematic overview of strategic risks facing the country, was published on 29 August following a public consultation process. The National Risk Assessment acknowledges the significance of risk arising from Brexit, and that Brexit represents an overarching theme that could have far-reaching impacts on nearly all aspects of national life. It identifies areas where Brexit poses a specific risk, particularly in relation to the economy.

As set out in the comprehensive document of 2 May, the Government’s continuing work to ensure that Ireland’s interests are reflected in the EU’s approach to the ongoing EU-UK negotiations is a central dimension of Ireland’s strategic response to Brexit.

Work is also continuing across Government on Ireland’s wider response to the challenges and opportunities posed by Brexit, building on ongoing cross-Government research, analysis and consultations with stakeholders and encompassing the following themes:

- sustainable fiscal policies to ensure capacity to absorb and respond to economic shocks, not least from Brexit;

- policies to make Irish enterprise more diverse and resilient, to diversify trade and investment patterns, and to strengthen competitiveness;

- prioritising policy measures and dedicating resources to protect jobs and businesses in the sectors and regions most affected by Brexit;

- realising economic opportunities arising from Brexit, and helping businesses adjust to any new logistical or trade barriers arising;

- making a strong case at EU level that Ireland will require support that recognises where Brexit represents a serious disturbance to the Irish economy.

Policy decisions in support of these objectives also arise across a wide range of areas, including the annual budgetary process; the forthcoming National Planning Framework 2040; the new 10-year National Capital Plan; the Review of Enterprise 2025 Policy, and sectorial policies and investment decisions in areas such as agriculture, enterprise, transport, communications and energy.

The comprehensive document “Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union: The Government’s Approach” published on 2 May 2017 outlined in detail the structures put in place by the Government to ensure a strategic and whole-of Government response to Brexit that ensures a coordinated approach to the identification of key priority issues for the EU-UK negotiations and the wider domestic response.

Since the publication of the comprehensive document, the Government has sought to further increase its strategic oversight of Brexit through the addition of a dedicated responsibility for Brexit matters to the role of the Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade. The Cabinet Committee structures have also been reformed and a new Cabinet Committee has been established to deal with EU Affairs including Brexit.

The Government’s National Risk Assessment 2017, which provides a systematic overview of strategic risks facing the country, was published on 29 August following a public consultation process. The National Risk Assessment acknowledges the significance of risk arising from Brexit, and that Brexit represents an overarching theme that could have far-reaching impacts on nearly all aspects of national life. It identifies areas where Brexit poses a specific risk, particularly in relation to the economy.

As set out in the comprehensive document of 2 May, the Government’s continuing work to ensure that Ireland’s interests are reflected in the EU’s approach to the ongoing EU-UK negotiations is a central dimension of Ireland’s strategic response to Brexit.

Work is also continuing across Government on Ireland’s wider response to the challenges and opportunities posed by Brexit, building on ongoing cross-Government research, analysis and consultations with stakeholders and encompassing the following themes:

- sustainable fiscal policies to ensure capacity to absorb and respond to economic shocks, not least from Brexit;

- policies to make Irish enterprise more diverse and resilient, to diversify trade and investment patterns, and to strengthen competitiveness;

- prioritising policy measures and dedicating resources to protect jobs and businesses in the sectors and regions most affected by Brexit;

- realising economic opportunities arising from Brexit, and helping businesses adjust to any new logistical or trade barriers arising;

- making a strong case at EU level that Ireland will require support that recognises where Brexit represents a serious disturbance to the Irish economy.

Policy decisions in support of these objectives also arise across a wide range of areas, including the annual budgetary process; the forthcoming National Planning Framework 2040; the new 10-year National Capital Plan; the Review of Enterprise 2025 Policy, and sectorial policies and investment decisions in areas such as agriculture, enterprise, transport, communications and energy.

Brexit has been identified as the major strategic risk facing my Department, and I and my officials are continuing to prioritise work on identifying and planning measures to mitigate these risks.

Any physical or regulatory barriers to the ease of the existing access links within the Island of Ireland, and between Ireland and our international markets could hinder the current arrangements for aviation, maritime and international road transport services. The weakness of sterling is also, and will continue to, impact on business, international transport and travel and on the competitiveness of Ireland’s tourist offering.

Based on our engagements with stakeholders and on our internal and cross-governmental analyses, my Department has identified and the priority potential threats and risks facing the transport and tourism sectors. These include:

- minimising the impact of Brexit on the tourism industry by preserving the Common Travel Area, avoiding a hard border on the Island of Ireland, and maintaining a liberalised aviation regime to protect and promote access.

- maintaining in so far as possible the existing common standards and regulatory regimes (e.g. international haulage, maritime).

- the avoidance of a hard border between North and South,

- the protection of the fully liberalised and deregulated aviation market and current aviation traffic rights with respect to the various air transport markets.

- the treatment of EU and UK airlines as well as EU and UK nationals in terms of ownership and control rules.

In response to these analyses, my Department is undertaking contingency planning by examining a number of scenarios, including a no-deal scenario, and this work will evolve in line with the negotiations. The sectorial response plans that  will emerge from this  will identify actions and  funding that may be required in response to threats from Brexit. The tourism sector has already identified additional funding requirements in particular for tourism marketing and these will be considered by Government in the context of the forthcoming budget.

The analyses to date suggests that the opportunities arising from Brexit in the transport and tourism sectors will be limited. We have seen some interest in a number of transport related activities establishing in Ireland from the UK, but these have been relatively limited to date. The Department will continue to actively monitor for further opportunities that may arise.

The matter and timing of publication of the sectorial response plans will be considered when the Department’s contingency planning is complete.