Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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204. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if the strategic communications unit in the Department the Taoiseach will co-ordinate a national Brexit preparedness public information and awareness campaign in 2018 (details supplied); if meetings have taken place between her Departmental officials and advisers and State agencies under her remit with the strategic communications unit since this announcement; the body that will carry out this campaign if the unit is no longer in a position to complete this action; and the budget for this campaign. [17304/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Government’s extensive response to Brexit is already underway and includes measures such as:

- Enterprise Ireland’s €5,000 ‘Be Prepared’ grant for firms;

- Enterprise Ireland’s Brexit Scorecard;

- Bord Bia’s Brexit Barometer;

- InterTrade Ireland’s Brexit Advisory Service;

- the €300m Brexit Loan Scheme for Business;

- the €25m Brexit Response Loan Scheme for the agri-food sector;

- and the opening of six new diplomatic missions as part of Global Footprint 2025.

One of the aims of the Action Plan for Jobs 2018 (APJ 2018) is to ensure Ireland’s enterprise base can be successful amid the uncertainty created by Brexit. The APJ2018 therefore sets out actions around increasing national, sectoral and firm level preparedness to ensure that companies exposed to Brexit anticipate the need for change, respond and adapt. This includes a national Brexit preparedness public information and awareness campaign.

As stated in the APJ2018, this campaign will involve my Department along with the Departments of An Taoiseach, Foreign Affairs & Trade, and other relevant Departments and Agencies. Plans for the campaign remain under consideration. None of my officials, advisers nor the State agencies under my Department’s aegis have met the Strategic Communications Unit since the launch of the APJ2018 on March 9^th2018.