Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
1745. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health 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. [34666/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraCo-ordination of the whole-of-Government response to Brexit is being taken forward through the cross-Departmental coordination structures chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Contingency planning for a no-deal or worst-case outcome, bringing together the detailed work being undertaken by individual Ministers and their Departments on issues within their policy remit, was identified as an early priority and is now well advanced. Its focus is on the immediate economic, regulatory and operational challenges which would result from such an outcome. It assumes a trading relationship based on the default WTO rules, but also examines the possible effects on many other areas of concern.
This work has provided baseline scenarios for the impact of Brexit across all sectors, which can then be adapted as appropriate in light of developments in the EU-UK negotiations. This is enabling the modelling of potential responses under different scenarios, such as one where a withdrawal agreement, including a transitional arrangement, is concluded and where a Free Trade Agreement is the basis for the future relationship between the EU and the UK.
My Department and its agencies have been conducting detailed analysis on the impacts of Brexit in the area of health. A number of issues are being examined and contingency planning for a range of eventualities is underway. A key issue will be to ensure that there is minimum disruption to health services and that essential services are maintained on a cross-Border, all-island and Ireland-UK basis. This analysis will inform resource requirements and ensure that the response to Brexit is adaptable to what is a changing process.
