Following British prime minister Theresa May’s weekend announcement that she intends to trigger Article 50 by March 2017, the Government held a meeting today (Tuesday) to discuss preparations for the negotiations that are soon to take place.

The next steps include an all-island civic dialogue, with the initial meeting on 2 November in Dublin. This meeting is to be hosted by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan.

There will also be a series of round-table discussions with interested groups to allow for detailed consideration of Brexit issues arising on a sectoral level.

Budget 2017, due to be announced on Tuesday 11 October, will include measures which will support the overall economic response to Brexit, the Government says.

The Government will also continue its engagement with other EU leaders and governments and the EU institutions. This includes meetings with Michel Barnier, the man newly appointed as the European Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator, who is expected to visit Dublin shortly.

Now that we have clarity from prime minister May regarding the timetable, we will intensify our engagement and preparation for the negotiations

The Government says that after a “detailed review of action taken to date”, it has decided to “intensify preparations over the coming weeks”.

Priorities

Following Tuesday’s meeting, the Taoiseach reaffirmed that the priorities of the Government were economy and trade, the peace process and Northern Ireland, the Common Travel Area and the future of the EU itself. He also said: “Now that we have clarity from prime minister May regarding the timetable, we will intensify our engagement and preparation for the negotiations. Ireland faces unique challenges from Brexit, not least given the all-island issues that arise.’’

The intensification of preparations follows the news that the Brexit cabinet committee, set up to create a contingency plan for handling the fallout from the UK’s exit from the European Union, has met only once since the Government was formed in May.

Joan Burton, Labour TD and spokesperson on finance, made the discovery in a written answer provided by the Taoiseach.

In a Dáil question addressed to the Taoiseach on 27 September this year, Burton asked the Taoiseach the names of the existing cabinet committees and the number of times they have met since the formation of the Government.

In the answer, it was revealed the Brexit committee has met only once since May. The housing committee has met the most frequently, having met eight times since the formation of the Government.

Brexit

On 23 June 2016, the British electorate voted by a slight majority to leave the EU. Just last weekend, the prime minister Theresa May gave a deadline of no later than end of March 2017 for triggering Article 50, which will begin the process of negotiating the country’s exit from the EU, a process likely to take two years.

Up until the very end of that process, the UK, including England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, will still be a fully functioning member of the EU.

Assuming Brexit goes ahead as planned, it will have once in a lifetime implications for Irish farmers on both sides of the border.

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