Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2017
510. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there is a senior official with designated responsibility for Brexit matters in his Department; if so, the grade of the designated official; the funding allocated to the said Brexit unit; the cost to date in 2017; the anticipated cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31269/17]
View answerThe Government’s Brexit Contingency Framework set out that all Departments identify a senior official to oversee Brexit matters and to create a Top Management sub-committee to deal specifically with the implications of Brexit for their areas of work. This ensures a cross-cutting whole-of-Government approach, with a particular focus on possible economic implications of Brexit and policy aimed at supporting sustainable economic growth.
As Energy is identified as a key priority for my Department, the Assistant Secretary for Energy undertakes responsibility for Brexit matters. Under the chairmanship of this Assistant Secretary a sub-committee, consisting of Principal Officers representing policy areas with potential Brexit implications in my Department, meets regularly. This sub-committee carries out extensive work across a wide range of divisions, including ongoing analysis of potential impacts at sectoral level.
While no specific funding has been allocated, the work on Brexit to date has been funded from existing budgets, including the All Island Brexit Civic Dialogue on Energy held on 6 February at a total cost of €3,590.70.
Given the unpredictability of the on-going Brexit negotiations, it is not practicable to provide an estimate of the future cost at this time.
