My Department was established on 19 July 2017. My colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Simon Coveney, T.D., has the primary responsibility for leading on Brexit negotiations. My Department is contributing on an ongoing basis to discussions, and is providing policy advice relevant to its remit, as and when required.
My Department has been established to deliver on the Government’s commitment to bring a greater degree of coordination and cohesion to all of the work of Government in so far as it impacts on rural Ireland and communities. The impact of Brexit on regional and rural businesses and on communities is relevant across a number of policy areas of my Department. In this context, considerations around the impact of Brexit are shared across different policy areas, rather than being assigned to a single Unit or to dedicated staff.
In addition, my role in the Cabinet Committee on the Economy gives me a specific forum to raise issues for Rural Ireland relating to the Economy, Jobs, the Labour Market, Competitiveness, Productivity, Trade, the Action Plan on Rural Development and the Digital Economy, including managing and mitigating the risks associated with Brexit.
Neither my Department nor any of the agencies under its remit have received any additional budget or staff to prepare for Brexit.
