Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade

Trade Promotion: Discussion with Asia Matters

6:00 pm

Mr. Martin Murray:

There are third factors involved. First, the super rate of growth in China is great and floats all ships. Second, to be fair to Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and other State agencies, notwithstanding their small size and limited human and financial resources, they dedicate significant resources to the region. I understand approximately one third of Enterprise Ireland resources are being allocated to China, although I am open to correction on that. While our agencies may be small, their staff on the ground are good. I have considerable personal experience of the Irish agencies in Japan and they do what they do very well. Ireland is particularly good at building good personal relations. While the calibre of our people is a factor, the calibre and quality of the products and services coming out of Ireland are also factors. We have many smart people developing serious companies that will make a significant difference if they scale up appropriately.