Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2017
1859. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there is a senior official with designated responsibility for Brexit matters in her Department; if so, the grade of the designated official; the funding allocated to the Brexit unit; the cost to date; the anticipated cost; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37991/17]
View answer1860. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection 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. [38007/17]
View answer1920. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of vacancies in her Department for Brexit-related roles; the expected date for these rolls to be filled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38821/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1859, 1860 and 1920 together.
The Department’s EU and International section, which includes a separate Brexit Unit, is led by an Assistant Secretary. The Brexit Unit has, at present, three additional staff assigned to it and reports directly to the Assistant Secretary. These are two Assistant Principals, one on a full-time basis and one on a four-day per week basis, and one Executive Officer on a four-day per week basis due to worksharing.
In addition to the salary costs for the three extra staff referenced above, an initial €10,000 was assigned to this unit under the Department’s Administrative Budget to cover home travel and subsistence and the cost, where necessary, of facilitating the Department’s Brexit consultative process with key stakeholders. Expenditure, to date, is €7,075.80. Additional expenditure of €4,134.37 has been incurred on airfares, and foreign travel and subsistence associated with Brexit, which is managed under central budgets. It is anticipated that total expenditure for the unit for 2017 will be in the region of €20,000.
Both staffing and funding requirements are being kept under continuous review.
More generally, the Management Board of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has been fully engaged with the social protection implications of the vote by the UK to leave the EU and, indeed, the earlier negotiations on the UK’s relationship with the EU; a sub group of the Management Board is in place and the Board also receives regular updates on the key developments relating to Brexit.
