Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses may now respond to the questions raised by members. Given that we have opened two new embassies in Thailand and Indonesia, with a consulate general in Hong Kong, what is the importance of having a resident embassy? It is something that cannot be emphasised enough. There were ten ASEAN countries mentioned so where is the real growth potential for Ireland to do business? We did not mention Vietnam; the embassy there was traditionally an aid embassy but as Vietnam's economy improves, there will probably be far more emphasis on trade.