Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 April 2017
348. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff deployed full time in her Department in respect of Brexit; if there is a designated section or unit to deal with Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17021/17]
View answerStaffing levels of my Department reflect the requirement to manage the pay bill and staff numbers in accordance with Government pay policy with staff resources deployed in the most effective and efficient manner as appropriate to business needs and key priorities at any given time.
An additional €3 million was secured in respect of Pay in Budget 2017 and is being targeted specifically to assist in our response to the evolving Brexit scenario. It is enabling the Department and, primarily, our Agencies recruit some 40 to 50 additional staff to supplement existing staffing numbers. These numbers may grow as Agencies allocate additional Own Resource Income, by agreement with the Department, to recruit further staff to work on "Brexit-related" activity.
The additional €3m has been allocated across:
- Enterprise Ireland
- IDA Ireland
- Science Foundation Ireland
- The Health and Safety Authority, and
- The Department itself (€250,000)
The Department as a whole has prioritised the Brexit challenges in its work plans for 2017 across all its Divisions. Brexit Unit staffing has been set at a team of 4 full-time staff for now as follows: 1 Principal, 1 Assistant Principal, 1 Higher Executive Officer and 1 Clerical Officer. In addition, the work of very many Business Units across the Department is impacted by Brexit. These Units have finalised their business plans for 2017 and the impact of Brexit for their work has been fully factored in. In addition, a workforce planning process spanning the years 2017-19 has recently been concluded. This process was coordinated by my Department's HR Unit and reviewed the level of resources assigned across all Divisions of the Department in relation to our current strategic priorities, and, naturally, responding to Brexit features heavily in the plan. In this regard additional staffing resources will be recruited to support the Brexit Unit and other areas of the Department impacted by Brexit in the immediate period ahead.
