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

1112. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the details of all planning and research work under way for the impact of the result of Brexit negotiations in her Department or related State agencies; if this analysis is intended for publication; the expected completion and publication date respectively of this research, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46114/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for Brexit, Minister Coveney has responsibility for coordinating the whole-of-Government response to Brexit. In this capacity, he is working closely with his colleagues across Government to address the many challenges resulting from Brexit. This cooperation also involves the relevant State Agencies.

Work at Cabinet level is being prepared through cross-Departmental coordination structures. These represent a frequent and active channel through which all relevant Departments are providing their research, analysis and overall policy input to the Government’s wider response to Brexit, including its priorities for the ongoing Article 50 negotiations between the EU and the UK.

As the outcome of the negotiations is not yet known, an important focus of the planning and preparation being undertaken through these structures is on deepening the Government’s analysis and understanding of the exact consequences of a range of different possible scenarios. This represents an intensification of efforts to build on the Government‘s contingency planning.

With regard to my own Department, the Deputy will be aware that in January of this year I hosted an all-Ireland sectorial dialogue with young people, members of the Advisory Council for Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020, and other stakeholders in Croke Park to discuss the potential impact of Brexit on the lives of children and young people on the island of Ireland. The key findings of this important event have been published in a report which is available on my Department’s website. Since then, the Advisory Council has considered the report and work is ongoing in relation to the more detailed implications of Brexit.

Furthermore, matters in relation to Brexit were discussed by over 100 children and young people in April of this year as part of the annual regional Comhairle na nÓg Networking events. This has enabled my Department to identify those issues which may impact on children and young people, post-Brexit, and indeed identify other issues which resonate strongly with our youngest citizens.

The consultation and research undertaken to date by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs has identified a number of issues of potential concern should negotiations between the EU and UK not conclude successfully. However, these matters are small subsets of much larger items which will be considered, in the main, in conjunction with colleagues in the Departments of Finance, Justice and Equality, Education and Health as part of the wider negotiating process.