Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2018
151. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the €3.5 million allocated to Article 50 negotiations as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the €3.5 million allocation that has been spent; the way in which the funds have been spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24320/18]
View answerBrexit has been prioritised across the entire range of work of my Department. Additional staff have been assigned to the key Divisions with responsibility for Brexit matters, namely the European Union Division and the Ireland, UK and Americas Division (IUKA), to cover the issues arising from the UK exit process. The work of those staff is primarily targeted at the management of the negotiations on UK withdrawal and subsequent agreements; enhanced Brexit co-ordination, promotion and public engagement on the Future of Europe.
There has been a marked increase also in demand for passports and citizenship via foreign birth registration from applicants in Northern Ireland and in Britain and this has had an impact on the Passport Service and on Consular Division.
Many business units across my Department at headquarters in Dublin are involved in the response to the UK exit, including the Legal Division, the Trade Division and the Policy Planning Unit. The additional resources will contribute to developing targeted responses in new and mature markets to mitigate the economic impact of British withdrawal. Overseas, additional posts have been assigned to our Embassies in London, Berlin, and Paris as well as the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels with a focus on trade and economic promotion and further enhancement of key strategic relationships and partnerships
These measures remain under review. The Department will allocate additional staff resources as necessary to further augment our level of support across Government and across our diplomatic mission network.
The additional Brexit-related expenditure is in line with profile and it is expected that the additional allocation will be fully spent by year end.
