Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 February 2019
131. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she or her officials have discussed or outlined the number of companies that have located here from the UK since Brexit was announced. [8466/19]
View answerBrexit represents the most significant economic challenge facing businesses in the last 50 years and I am satisfied that my Department, its offices and agencies are fully focused on supporting businesses to face the challenges ahead, and to maximize any potential opportunities presented by Brexit.
IDA Ireland report that approximately 55 Brexit-related investments with employment potential of more than 4,500 roles will locate in Ireland over the next two to three years.
The financial services sector accounts for 62% of all Brexit-related investments to date and 44% of the associated jobs (approximately 2,000 roles). The remaining investments have come mainly from life sciences and engineering (22%) and the broad technology and online/e-commerce sectors (16%).
In terms of regional distribution of projects secured so far, approximately 85% of investments and 70% of potential jobs will be in the South and East of the country. The remaining Brexit-related investment and jobs secured to date will be situated in the Border, Midlands and Western regions.
I understand that recruitment for the Brexit-associated jobs (all of which will be located in Ireland) generated by these investments is already underway by the companies concerned, with many staff hired already.
Separately, following the decision by the UK to exit the EU a number of UK companies are seeking to set up in Ireland as notified bodies in order to be in a position to continue operating within the European Union post Brexit.
A Notified Body is a Body which assesses the conformity of certain products, in accordance with a range of EU Directives, before they are placed on the market. In order to become a Notified Body and carry out conformity assessments throughout the European Union, a Body must be approved by a Notifying Authority in an EU Member State. My Department is a Notifying Authority under several EU Directives. To date, five UK Notified Bodies have been appointed as Notified Bodies in Ireland and a further two applications are expected.
Part of the criteria for appointment as a Notified Body is that the Body must be accredited by the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) and the Notified Body must be established in Ireland.
The appointment of a Notified Body is carried out by my Department while the accreditation process is fulfilled by INAB. INAB operates independently of my Department, and is the national body in Ireland with responsibility for the accreditation of laboratories, certification bodies and inspection bodies.
I understand that INAB has 26 Brexit-related applications for accreditation, a number of which are from existing UK Notified Bodies seeking to become Notified Bodies in Ireland. I would point out, however, that all such applications must go through a robust assessment process prior to receiving accreditation from INAB. Furthermore, not all of the accreditation applications to INAB will result in subsequent applications to my Department as there are other Government Departments with a similar Notifying Authority role in respect of other Directives.
