Mr. Brian Cotter:

We appreciate the concerns about standards and in civil society. We must reinforce the point that the negotiations' objective is the mutual recognition of equal or higher, not lower, standards.

Interestingly, we understand from civil society in the US that one of the reasons the negotiations with Europe have moved along with more enthusiasm is that some groups in the US look to Europe for those higher standards in terms of the environment and labour that they do not necessarily get at the state or federal level in the US. It is interesting from that perspective.

I agree with Mr. Redmond that it is complex from the point of view of the industrial base. However, we can say that the traded sector in particular, that is, the exporting sector comprising multinationals and indigenous companies, has performed very strongly at a time of great economic turbulence and global uncertainty. Such companies are always competing and changing. There are organisations which employ the same numbers of people now as ten years ago but what those people do might be completely different. There will always be change and the Deputy will appreciate the importance of a skills strategy in that context. We must be very cognisant of where the future opportunities lie for companies and what people will need in terms of training and so forth. That is an ongoing debate.

It is interesting to look at the profile of our member companies. Many of them have a global role. They have responsibility for operations not only in Ireland but all around the world. They have a unique perspective and I would encourage the committee to get that perspective on more strategic issues. They see competition coming, from an investment perspective, years ahead of competitors in their trade or service because they need to win the investment first. It is complex and very intense. That intensity has existed for a number of decades in Ireland and that is why traded industry in Ireland has been a strong contributor during this recessionary period. They are proud of their contribution and want to do more.