Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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27. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if there is a senior official with designated responsibility for Brexit matters in her 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 she will make a statement on the matter. [37985/17]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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28. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff deployed full time in her Department in respect of Brexit; if there is a designated section or unit to deal with Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38001/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 28 together.

The work of very many Business Units is impacted by Brexit and the Department as a whole has prioritised the Brexit challenges in its work plans for 2017 across all its Divisions.

A dedicated Brexit Unit was established in 2016 and is led at Assistant Secretary level within the EU Affairs and Trade Policy Division, to coordinate and represent the Departmental and Agencies response to Brexit and to support me in my position at the Cabinet Committee dealing with Brexit. The designated official, at Assistant Secretary level, is currently supported by 1 Principal, 2 Assistant Principals, 1 Higher Executive Officer and 1 Clerical Officer. An additional HEO/AO is being recruited for the Brexit Unit. Many other areas of the Department are impacted by Brexit and on foot of a recently completed workforce planning exercise for the Department in respect of the period 2017-2019 these posts, plus others which are not solely Brexit-impacted are being filled as staff can be recruited.

The full year salary costs for the Brexit Unit itself, including the additional staffing resources to be recruited, is estimated at approximately €570,000. In addition to this, funding is available to undertake appropriate research, and in light of the substantial programme of visits ongoing and planned at Ministerial and Official level to other capital cities as part of our outreach to our European partners, there will be associated travel and subsistence costs.

Separately, resources have been made available to IDA, EI, SFI and the HSA to recruit additional staff consequent on Brexit with significant progress made at this time in filling those posts.