Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 February 2018
523. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if his Department is specifically preparing a paper or papers examining the impact of a hard, soft and WTO or cliff-edge scenario Brexit on Ireland; if so, the date work on the papers commenced; the status of these papers; the expected publication date; his plans to make them available to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8543/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy 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 is not specifically preparing a paper or papers to examine various possible outcomes on Ireland post Brexit.
The 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 on 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.
