Mr. Michael Slein:

I stress the importance of embassies abroad when fledgling companies are trying to make inroads into new markets. My experience with Enterprise Ireland, in particular, has been very positive. It is really important that we have people on the ground. Many years ago, when my export business was starting out, I attended a half-day forum chaired by three of the main exporting companies in Ireland, including Glen Dimplex. The big message was that if one wanted to be successful in the export markets, one would only be successful by having feet on the ground. It was emphasised that it did not mean employing a sales person and having him or her on the ground, that the CEOs of businesses needed to be heavily involved. Linked with this, the impact of officials, embassy staff, Enterprise Ireland staff and IDA Ireland staff cannot be underestimated. It is very important and a dramatic statement of intent to those involved in the markets in which we are trying to become involved in terms of our commitment to these markets. I advocate strongly that if there are cutbacks to be made, they should not be made in the export sector. We are heavily involved in China. There was an office in Guangzhou with one person, but it was closed down. That was a big mistake. Out of all those employed globally by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland and in the embassies, one person is tiny. The key message is that we need support and help on the ground.

Instead of having three addresses in export markets, with IDA Ireland located in one place and the embassy and Enterprise Ireland in others, we thought it would be a superb idea to open Ireland House. It was to be one operation in one building in each of the markets in whcih we were involved. There would be a number of ways in which the work done would be complementary. Obviously, exporters interact with different people, including staff in IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the embassies.

We also thought this would give a good opportunity to have an Ireland showcase room within this Ireland House building. It could be a not so significant-sized room such as this committee room whereby there would a permanent display for Irish export companies. It need not be manned and visitors to the Ireland House could look at products and subsequently make contact with the companies involved. It is a successful model in many other countries and one I encountered 20 years ago.

We would also like to see a heavy emphasis throughout the Department, including with ambassadors, that 75% of its activity would be focused on trade. We would also like to see metrics put in place for each of the different embassies so that everyone could gauge which ones are operating successfully. The Irish Exporters Association would be delighted to provide feedback on the areas where we believe certain embassies are working well and others not.