Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2017
635. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of meetings she has had with officials from Enterprise Ireland, the IDA and Science Foundation Ireland on Brexit-related matters in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25416/17]
View answerI regularly discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with Brexit with the Agencies under my Department’s remit. This includes in the context of monthly Brexit meetings I chair with the IDA and EI as well as in frequent other exchanges I have with Agency staff every week. The challenges and opportunities associated with the UK's withdrawal from the EU also regularly feature as an item of discussion at job announcements, during overseas marketing programmes and in the margins of industry events.
As part of my Department's response to Brexit, I established a Co-ordination Group on Brexit, which I chair. This group consists of the representatives from IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, and relevant enterprise, single market and trade officials from the Department. This Coordination Group has met on 13 occasions - both Agencies have had representation at all of these meetings. In addition, Science Foundation Ireland attended and presented to the Coordination Group meeting on 7 March.
To facilitate in-depth and frequent dialogue with our stakeholders on a range of policy areas which fall within our remit, I have established a Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Enterprise Forum on Brexit and global challenges. Representatives from IDA, EI and SFI participated in the two Forum meetings held to date (6 March 2017 and 24 May 2017).
In relation to other one-on-one meetings with SFI, I met with the Director General on 10 May 2017. The possible implications of Brexit were discussed, including mechanisms to develop increased collaborative arrangements with the UK research community and options for potential new joint appointments and studentships.
Of course Ministers Halligan and Breen also meet agency staff and discuss Brexit related matters.
Finally, I invited IDA, EI and SFI to discuss Brexit impacts on a panel as part of my Department's Brexit stakeholder dialogue in Leitrim on 30 January this year and as a follow-up to that they all participated in a panel discussion at the All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit Second Plenary on 17 February.
