Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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110. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he expects the 450 customs officials to be hired, in place and adequately trained before 29 March 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39025/18]

Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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111. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if each Department has a contingency plan completed and ready to be operationalised in the event of a no-deal Brexit; if not, the Departments' contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit which remain to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39026/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 111 together.

The Government’s contingency planning for Brexit was initiated well in advance of the UK referendum in June 2016 and since my appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in June 2017 I have overseen a sustained intensification of these efforts. As part of these efforts, the Government is organising “Getting Ireland Brexit Ready” workshop events around Ireland to inform and advise about Brexit preparedness and the range of support measures and resources that the Government has put in place.

Co-ordination of the whole-of-Government response to Brexit is being taken forward through the cross- Departmental coordination structures chaired by my Department. The Government remains focused on work in the negotiations to conclude a withdrawal agreement.

On 18 July I presented a detailed Memorandum to the Government on Brexit Preparedness and Contingency Planning. The Memorandum included elements aimed at moving from planning to implementation in a number of key areas and the Government requested detailed follow-up proposals, including in regard to the recruitment of customs officers and staff responsible for sanitary and phytosanitary checks. The Government had a further discussion on contingency planning and Brexit preparedness on 18 September and agreed key steps including the necessary recruitment for 2019 of customs officials and staff responsible for SPS and health checks that may be necessary at ports and airports on an East West basis.

On 19 July, the European Commission published a paper on Preparing for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on 30 March 2019, calling on the EU27 Member States to intensify their preparedness efforts. The European Commission has offered guidance regarding potential consequences resulting from various Brexit scenarios, and where planning is focused on areas of exclusive EU or mixed competence, the role of the Commission will be of great importance and we continue to engage actively with the Commission on this work.

In areas of domestic action, the focus is on the necessary responses led by Government Departments and Agencies, as well as in areas where the preparedness response is driven primarily by stakeholders in individual sectors of the economy but with appropriate support from Government. Preparation and planning is ongoing across Government to address a range of Brexit scenarios, including a ‘no deal’ scenario, and Departments and agencies continue to develop and implement, as appropriate, Brexit preparedness and contingency planning in their areas of responsibility.