Assessment of the Impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on Údarás Na Gaeltachta
Spending Review 2020 An assessment of the impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on Údarás na Gaeltachta and its client companies. REBECCA RYDER & SHARON BARRY DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, CULTURE, ARTS, GAELTACHT, SPORT AND MEDIA OCTOBER 2020 This paper has been prepared by staff in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. The views presented in this paper do not represent the official views of the Department or Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Executive Summary This paper sets out to examine the impact of Brexit on Údarás na Gaeltachta’s client companies. It focusses, in particular, on those trading with the United Kingdom. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is also considered, given its predicted effects on the post-Brexit economy. The paper presents; an estimation of the level of exposure of Údarás na Gaeltachta (ÚnaG) client companies to Brexit through a trade flow analysis, a literature review of previous Brexit and Covid-19 analysis, a survey of ÚnaG client companies, and an assessment of the uptake of existing Brexit and Covid-19 supports. Main Findings: Gaeltacht companies are significantly more exposed to a disorderly Brexit than the Irish economy in general, due to their reliance on the UK as both an export market and a source of raw materials and other imports. Given that a hard Brexit with WTO tariffs is becoming increasingly likely, the impact on ÚnaG client companies will be substantial. Údarás na Gaeltachta have been working with their client companies to encourage awareness of the full range of supports.
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