Written answers

Tuesday, 12 February 2019

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Brexit Supports

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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324. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the supports and guidance that will be provided by her Department and agencies under her remit for businesses arising from standards and certification changes due to Brexit. [6257/19]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department and its agencies are providing extensive supports and guidance to help businesses prepare for the impacts of Brexit. These supports aim to assist businesses in identifying key risk areas and the practical preparatory actions to be taken.

The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), an agency of my Department, is the State body with responsibility for developing and promoting the use of standards. It works to improve the performance of organisations and protect consumers by developing, publishing and distributing standards and issuing certification in the quality and safety of goods and services. It is an EU Notified Body for the purpose of certifying products in several areas, including medical devices, motor vehicles, construction products and measuring instruments.

Since the UK Government notified the European Council of its intention to leave the EU, the NSAI has been developing mitigating strategies in the areas of standards and certification. In line with Government policy, an inclusive approach has been adopted by the NSAI which continues to work closely with other Government agencies to fully provide the information and supports required by Irish businesses.

Brexit is an ongoing and evolving process which requires a fluid and adaptive response in the provision of guidance and support. A dedicated Brexit Unit was established in the NSAI last year which has developed a three-strand approach focused on raising public awareness, engaging with Government and industry, and assessing and developing strategies to mitigate the impact of Brexit on Irish businesses.

Over the past number of months, the NSAI has organised a series of standalone general and sector-specific Brexit briefings. As well as raising public awareness through participation at Brexit information events, a number of online supports have been developed. These include a dedicated Brexit webpage outlining guidance for businesses, a dedicated point of contact for individuals seeking advice, and Brexit factsheets which provide succinct and clear information on standards and certification issues in several sectors.

A key message from NSAI to businesses is that if a business relies on a UK Notified Body for conformity assessment certificates, they need to be aware that certifications from UK Notified Bodies will no longer be valid after Brexit. NSAI is also advising businesses to examine their supply chains to check for risks and vulnerabilities to the UK. If they depend on sourcing a product, component or perhaps a service from the UK, their supply chain may be at risk.

To ensure that businesses that use standards and require certification are fully informed about their requirements post-Brexit, the NSAI is engaging proactively with industry representatives and other stakeholders. It has undertaken analysis work to identify possible gaps and exposure in the provision of certification services to Irish companies, including wider formal engagement with all Irish Notified Bodies.

This work forms part of the concerted efforts across my Department and agencies to ensure that businesses make the necessary preparations for Brexit.

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