Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
70. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of extra employees to be hired in his Department between now and March 2019 to prepare for a hard Brexit; the specific roles these new employees will take up; the estimated cost of hiring these new employees; the impacts on his Department's expenditure ceilings for 2018 and 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34661/18]
View answerAs part of a whole of Government approach, the Department of Defence is engaged in forward planning with the other Departments involved in addressing all issues relevant to the UK decision to exit from the EU.
Necessary arrangements have been put in place in my Department to address the potential challenges arising from Brexit with responsibility for Brexit related matters being assigned at Assistant Secretary General. In this regard, I am satisfied that my Department currently has the appropriate staffing complement in terms of both numbers and expertise to deal with issues that may arise in the context of Brexit. In this regard there are no plans at present to hire additional staff in the timeline outlined by the Deputy specifically to work on Brexit matters.
The staffing needs of my Department are kept under constant review in the context of the prudent management of its pay allocation and I can assure the Deputy that this will continue to be the case.
