Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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115. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the remit of the state aid modernisation working group; her plans for the SAM working group which will take place here in April 2018; and if draft proposals have been submitted by member states with respect to changing current state aid thresholds at EU level. [3856/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The objective of the State Aid Working Group is the exchange of views and best practice on the implementation of State Aid Rules among Member States.  The WG is currently chaired by France and this changes every 12-18 months. Bulgaria will host the next working group meeting on 2 February 2018 where  arrangements will be finalised for the April 27 meeting which is provisionally scheduled for Dublin.    

To date Member States have not requested changes to State Aid rules in response to Brexit.  Officials of my Department have had discussions with senior officials from DG Competition to sensitise them to both the potential and the real difficulties encountered by Irish businesses as a result of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.  Furthermore, in November 2017, the then Tánaiste met with Commissioner Vestager.  An outcome from this meeting was the establishment of a Working Group comprising representatives from DG Comp, the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation, Enterprise Ireland and Department of Agriculture.  The objective of the Group is to scope and design schemes to support enterprise impacted by Brexit in line with State Aid rules.  Should issues arise that require an approach that does not fit within the existing State Aid rules, this will be raised as part of the Working Group discussions.