Mr. John Whelan:

I thank the Chairman and committee members for giving us the opportunity to address them. The Irish Exporters Association was established in 1951 and was the organisation which had the low corporation tax rate introduced in Ireland. Originally, it was to apply to export profits. It kicked in in the early 1960s and subsequent organisations such as the IDA utilised it to very good effect to increase our foreign direct investment. The organisation represents companies which account for 70% of export activity. In terms of the specific brief in regard to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, initially we will look at the role of embassies and the trade portfolio, on which we will give some insights. We will talk briefly about the potential opportunities for restructuring and also about the work of the Export Trade Council. I will ask Mr. Slein, our vice president, to give an overview of our working relationship with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.