My colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs & 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 providing policy advice relevant to its remit as and when required.
The comprehensive document “Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union: The Government’ Approach”, published on 2 May 2017, outlined in detail the structures put in place by the Government to ensure a strategic and whole-of-Government response to Brexit that ensures a coordinated approach to the identification of key priority issues for the EU-UK negotiations and the wider domestic response.
Since the publication of the comprehensive document, the Government has sought to further increase its strategic oversight of Brexit through the addition of a dedicated responsibility for Brexit matters to the role of the Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade. The Cabinet Committee structures have also been reformed and new Cabinet Committees relating respectively to the Economy, and EU Affairs, including Brexit and the Economic Response to Brexit, have been established to provide an opportunity for cross-departmental input into the issues.
The Action Plan for Rural Development, which was published in January of this year, envisaged that a piece of research would be commissioned on the impact of Brexit on rural areas.
Since the publication of the Action Plan, a number of papers and commentaries have been published on the potential impact of Brexit on Ireland, including rural Ireland. In addition, a number of sectorial workshops on the issue have been held with local communities and other stakeholders by several Government Departments, including the former Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
In light of these developments, I do not propose to commission the carrying out of further research on the impact of Brexit at this time. However, the Government is continuing to work, through various State agencies, to provide support and advice to businesses on how to prepare for and address the possible impacts of Brexit.
We have already taken important steps to prepare our economy, including significant measures announced last week in Budget 2018, the Action Plan for Jobs 2017, and our Trade and Investment Strategy.
Brexit will also be a critical factor in our longer-term economic strategy – a new 10-year Capital Plan is in preparation, we’re revising our Enterprise 2025 policy and we are in active discussions with the European Investment Bank for a potential increase in investment in the country.
Our Government’s enterprise agencies continue to work with companies, helping them to deal with Brexit – making them more competitive, diversifying market exposure, and upskilling teams.
