Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2017
526. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the membership and role of all Brexit related stakeholder engagement groups working with his Department on Brexit issues; the number of times each stakeholder group has met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38855/17]
View answerEngagement with stakeholders is an important pillar of the Government’s overall response to Brexit. A major initiative undertaken under the joint leadership of my Department and the Department of the Taoiseach has been the All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit, which was established in November 2016. Its inaugural plenary session marked the beginning of a series of public consultations with a broad range of stakeholders. Following on from this, nineteen All-Island Sectorial Dialogues have taken place across the country. The second plenary session held in February 2017 enabled my Department to take stock of the progress of the sectorial dialogues to date. It also provided an opportunity to capture the views of many of those most directly affected from across the island of Ireland. To date, over 1,500 representatives from a range of industry and civil society groups have taken part in the All-Island Civic Dialogue process. A list of participating organisations and groups at the second plenary session in February 2017 is contained in the document All-Island Civic Dialogue: A Compendium, which is available on the Government’s Brexit portal.
The work of Civic Dialogue process to date has reaffirmed the priority issues identified by the Government ahead of the negotiations. The concerns and issues identified across a range of sectors were included in the Government’s comprehensive document “Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union: The Government’s Approach” published on 2 May. As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for Brexit, I am fully committed to the continuation of this valuable initiative and I am convening the third plenary session of the All-Island Civic Dialogue on 28 September.
Additionally, I have decided to establish a Brexit Stakeholder Forum as a means to inform and explain the Government’s position during the Article 50 negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. The Forum will be of particular value as the negotiations enter Phase Two, when parallel discussions are expected to begin on the framework of the future relationship between the EU and the UK.
Membership of this Forum is naturally more limited than that of the All-Island Civic Dialogue, to allow for a more focused and interactive discussion with key players. It may be augmented as required. Its first meeting will take place this week and will include representatives from the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce, Chambers Ireland, European Movement Ireland, the Institute of International and European Affairs, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Irish Exporters’ Association, the Irish Universities Association, IBEC and the North/South Joint Business Council. State agencies will also be present, and, in a personal capacity, some experts on EU issues. As the Deputy is aware, party Brexit spokespersons have also been invited: himself from Fianna Fáil, Brendan Howlin (Labour), David Cullinane (Sinn Féin) and Eamon Ryan (Green Party). The Forum is organised by my Department and other Departments will attend in an observer capacity. The intention is for the Forum to meet every four to six weeks.
