ONLY A QUARTER of key State positions concerning the processing of Brexit have been filled, it has emerged, nearly eight months after they were created in last October’s budget.
The roles in question are to be filled by the Department of Jobs to deal with the fallout from Great Britain leaving the EU.
In answer to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil Brexit spokesman Stephen Donnelly, the Department said that just 12 of 39 roles in Enterprise Ireland have been filled, one in 10 at the Industrial Development Authority (IDA), and no additional staff are in place at either Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) or the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
“The Government committed to providing an additional 50 posts to prepare Ireland for Brexit, but now we find that only 13 staff are actually in place,” Donnelly said.
The Irish Exporters Association recently described Irish businesses as being ‘woefully unprepared’ for Brexit. Despite 15 in 20 companies believing that they will be impacted, only three in 20 have done anything about it.
Unfortunately the State itself is not leading by example as it is leaving key posts unfilled as we head towards Brexit.
The Department of Jobs was allocated €3 million regarding the 50 additional staff in last October’s budget, with the vast majority of that figure going to Enterprise Ireland (€1.7 million).
In replying to Donnelly, the Department said that the remaining unfilled positions are “actively being sourced through recruitment processes”.
A dedicated ‘Brexit division’, comprising four officers, has been created within the Department of Jobs with a pay budget of €250,000.
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