Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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283. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of full-time and part-time staff in the dedicated Brexit unit within her Department broken down by staff grade; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53665/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In 2016, my Department established a dedicated Brexit Unit to deal with the challenges of Brexit. This Unit leads on the coordination of the Department’s policy and operational responses to Brexit, including our approach to the negotiations within the EU and bilateral relations with the UK. The Brexit Unit oversees research and analysis being undertaken by the Department and its Agencies and monitors research published by external bodies to better inform our policy response. The Unit also leads on engagement with a broad range of stakeholders to inform and validate our response to Brexit.

The Brexit Unit is led at Assistant Secretary level within the EU Affairs and Trade Policy Division, and is supported by one Principal, three Assistant Principals, two Higher Executive Officers and one Clerical Officer.

Responding to Brexit is a key priority for my Department given its impact across most policy and operational areas. As such, work is underway across the Department to identify impacts of different scenarios and responses required to mitigate risks and maximise opportunities associated with Brexit.