Flanagan dismisses call for Brexit minister; Johnson says countries 'queuing up' for UK trade deals
Charlie Flanagan has said every government minister is acting as a minister for Brexit.
He dismissed calls for there to be a dedicated cabinet member to deal with Britain's exit from the EU.
It comes as the British foreign secretary Boris Johnson said countries are queuing up to make trade deals with the UK after Theresa May's speech yesterday.
Charlie Flanagan said the Irish Government is prepared to deal with the implications of Brexit.
"Each and every government department will be affected in one way or another by (Brexit). That's why we have a whole-of-government response in the form of a special Brexit committee," he said.
"Everybody is, in effect, a Brexit minister."
Boris Johnson suggested there was already a high demand for trade deals with the UK from countries around the world, although they will have to wait until the end of Article 50 negotiations in 2019.
"They are already queuing up," Mr Johnson wrote. "Under EU rules, we are not formally allowed to negotiate these new treaties until we leave. But there is nothing to say that ideas cannot be pencilled in."
Meanwhile, some small businesses are casting doubt on claims Ireland could benefit from multinationals choosing to leave Britain because of Brexit.
CEO of IDIRO Analytics Aidan Connolly said he believed Dublin was already "maxed out" in a number of areas, regarding pffice space and access to talent in particular.
"If we have large financial institutions coming here, that will exacerbate the situation," he said. "Rents will go up and the access to talent will become even (more difficult)."
