As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for Brexit, Minister Coveney has responsibility for coordinating the whole-of-Government response to Brexit. In this capacity, he is working closely with his colleagues across Government to address the many challenges resulting from Brexit. This cooperation also involves the relevant State Agencies.
Work at Cabinet level is being prepared through cross-Departmental coordination structures. These represent a frequent and active channel through which all relevant Departments are providing their research, analysis and overall policy input to the Government’s wider response to Brexit, including its priorities for the ongoing Article 50 negotiations between the EU and the UK.
As the outcome of the negotiations is not yet known, an important focus of the planning and preparation being undertaken through these structures is on deepening the Government’s analysis and understanding of the exact consequences of a range of different possible scenarios.
Brexit is a key strategic risk for my Department and there are ongoing consultations and meetings between my officials, other Government Departments and agencies, and other public and private key stakeholders in order to continue to plan for and mitigate the risks associated with Brexit, and to identify opportunities arising.
My Department is represented on all relevant cross-Departmental coordination structures referred to above, and an internal Departmental Committee on Brexit meets on a monthly basis to oversee the Department's analyses and planning as the negotiations progress. There has been wide engagement with sectorial stakeholders.
My Department is continuing to examine a number of possible scenarios relating to the impact of Brexit on transport, tourism and sport in Ireland, including a “no-deal” scenario, and this work will evolve as the negotiations further progress. The work that will emerge from this will identify actions and funding that may be required in response to threats from Brexit.
The imposition of WTO tariffs would indirectly affect the transport sector involved in international trade but the main implications are on regulatory matters where there could be disruption to international transport should the existing EU regulatory frameworks not continue to apply to the UK.
