Department for Business, Enterprise and Innovation
Preparing for Brexit
The UK decision to leave the EU from March 2019 will entail changes to trading arrangements with our nearest neighbour.
The Government is committed to supporting Brexit impacted enterprises to sustain employment and economic activity to the greatest extent possible. Government Departments, enterprise agencies and regulatory bodies have a range of advisory supports, tool-kits and financial supports available to help business to navigate their way through Brexit impacts and to Prepare for Brexit.
With 12 months to go to UK withdrawal, understanding the potential implications is a key first step in developing your Brexit Contingency Plan. We will continue to work across Government to ensure our information to businesses and the supports available are best suited to helping business innovate, compete and trade and to meet the challenges and opportunities of Brexit.
The following provides a summary of supports and resources available. My Department, offices and agencies are available to advise and support business preparedness over the coming months.
Heather Humphreys T.D.
Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation
Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs)
Brexit supports from LEOs in every county include:
LEO Brexit Mentor Programme: supporting Owner/Managers identify key Brexit exposures and develop robust strategies to address issues and maximise potential opportunities.
Technical Assistance for Micro-Exporters
(TAME): Financial assistance to support market diversification in qualifying businesses to develop new and export market opportunities.
Lean for Micro: helping businesses adopt LEAN business practices to increase competitiveness.
LEO Innovation and Investment Fund (LIIF): Support for innovative developments in microenterprises by getting them investor ready.
www.localenterprise.ie
InterTrade Ireland (ITI)
Brexit ‘Start to Plan’ Vouchers:
ITI provides a Brexit Advisory Service to help businesses with practical advice, support and information on Brexit related issues. ITI also provides vouchers to enable companies to get professional advice on Brexit, including likely tariffs, currency management, regulatory and customs issues and movement of labour, goods and services.
www.intertradeireland.com/brexit
FDI Brexit Supports
IDA Ireland offers support to client companies as they grow and diversify their Irish footprint. The IDA offers practical assistance, such as information and advice on Brexit risks and opportunities, and financial assistance across R&D, training, employment and capital investment.
www.idaireland.ie
Enterprise Ireland
SME Scorecard online tool
Any business can quickly self-diagnose whether they are ready for Brexit. This Enterprise Ireland (EI) scorecard is a first step in developing a robust Brexit plan. It will help to stimulate thinking about the key areas that may be impacted in your business and to self-assess your level of preparedness.
www.prepareforbrexit.ie
www.localenterprise.ie
Awareness Sessions & Advisory Clinics
There are a range of awareness sessions and Advisory Clinics being convened by EI, InterTrade Ireland (ITI) and the LEOs to provide information and support to companies all around the country on actions to address exposure to Brexit. The key focus of advisory clinics are Financial and Currency Management, Strategic Sourcing and Customs, Transport and Logistics.
www.prepareforbrexit.ie/events
www.localenterprise.ie
Be Prepared Grant
For businesses that need external support in planning for Brexit, Enterprise Ireland offers up to €5,000 to assist client companies develop a plan.
www.prepareforbrexit.ie
Enterprise Ireland
EI Market Discovery Fund:
Diversifying to new markets is one option for many businesses in preparing for Brexit. EI supports businesses to research viable and sustainable new market entry strategies.
www.enterprise-Ireland.com
€300m Brexit Loan Scheme
In March 2018, the Government launched a new Brexit Loan Scheme for eligible businesses with up to 499 employees. Loan amounts range from €25,000 up to €1.5m, for terms of up to three years and a maximum interest rate of 4%.
www.sbci.gov.ie
Tourism and Hospitality
Fáilte Ireland offers a suite of supports for hospitality and tourism businesses, including an online Brexit Readiness Check, to assess Brexit risks and to respond to current challenges.
www.failteireland.ie/Supports/Get-Brexit-Ready.aspx
Bord Bia Brexit Barometer
Bord Bia’s Brexit Barometer is designed to help businesses assess their readiness for Brexit and also provides information on supply chain, currency, customs and international market diversification opportunities.
www.bordbia.ie/brexit
Health and Safety Authority (HSA)
The HSA’s Chemicals Helpdesk provides a support service for Irish chemical companies and SMEs on meeting legislative duties and ensuring they can source chemicals and sell in the EU.
www.hsa.ie
Certification, Standards and Metrology
The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) provides advice on how best to ensure businesses are certified to appropriate standards to access markets.
www.nsai.ie
Keeping informed on Brexit Negotiations
Given its leading role in the Government’s response to Brexit, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides a one-stop-shop of key Government and EU official documents so you can keep up to date on the Brexit negotiations.
www.dfa.ie/brexit
The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation is working to ensure we get the best outcome possible for business from the Brexit negotiations. We are leading a range of Brexit research projects, which will provide an extensive evidence base and valuable analysis to further inform the Government’s response to Brexit. The Department’s actions are set out in more detail in the publication Building Stronger Business: Responding to Brexit by competing, innovating and trading.
European Commission
The European Commission has published notices setting out the consequences in a range of policy areas of the UK withdrawal from the EU on 30 March 2019, from when it will become a third country, so as to prepare citizens and stakeholders.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/brexit_en
Summary of Brexit supports available to Business April 2018
Building Stronger Business – Getting Brexit ready
For the full range of supports for business see:
www.dbei.gov.ie
www.supportingsmes.ie
Prepared by the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation
This Article draws on Irish public sector information is reproduced pursuant to PSI Licence; Conditions of Re-Use of Public Sector Information. The Legal Materials contain Irish Public Sector Information licensed under the Irish Licence which is at http://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/per/2016/12.pdf.
