Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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154. To ask the Minister for Finance if he has raised the issue at EU level of an EU reform fund being established to help countries and regions most exposed to Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49018/17]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government’s Brexit priorities are clear. They are to protect the peace process, ensuring no hard border, maintenance of the Common Travel Area, securing an effective transitional arrangement leading to the closest possible trading relationship with UK, and working for the future of our Union. 

As set out in the Government’s position paper of 2 May 2017, to mitigate the economic implications associated with Brexit, the Government is taking a five pronged approach.

- To continue to prudently manage our economy and the public finances;

- To negotiate effectively, as part of the EU 27, which includes aiming for the closest possible future relationship between the EU and the UK;

- To continue supporting business and the economy through Government measures, programmes and strategies;

- To explore existing and possible future EU measures that could potentially assist Ireland in mitigating the effects of the UK’s withdrawal, while also making a strong case at EU level that Ireland may require further support on the basis that Brexit represents a serious disturbance to the Irish economy;

- and to maximise fully any economic opportunities arising from the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

The Government has already taken important steps to prepare our economy, including significant measures announced as part of Budget 2018, the Action Plan for Jobs 2017, and our Trade and Investment Strategy.  Building on the suite of measures contained in Budget 2017, Budget 2018 announced a series of Brexit measures to further prepare Ireland’s economy for the significant challenges ahead.  These measures include: a doubling of additional Brexit-related staff in state agencies; supports for capital investment in the food industry; €25m in loan schemes for the agri-food sector; and a new €300m low-cost Brexit loan scheme for business which will be supported by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Commission and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI).

The issue of investment funding, in the context of the Brexit challenges facing the Irish economy, is the subject of ongoing discussions with the European Investment Bank (EIB). Also, there is ongoing engagement with the Commission on State Aid rules issues - the recent publication by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Building Stronger Business, refers.

The Government will continue to engage with EU partners and EU institutions to ensure that Ireland’s concerns and priorities continue to be understood, with recognition of our unique circumstances and specific issues.