Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The trade delegation has not been finalised as yet. Obviously, there is a great deal of preparation to go into them, but what I am anxious to encourage is a series of ministerial visits. This is important in the sense of having real programmes to which both weight and respect are attached in terms of being able to do business.

I actually mentioned on a number occasions that the First Minister and Deputy First Minister from the Northern part of the country would be travelling to China later on in the year. I referred to that when speaking with the Deputy First Minister recently.

When I raised the issue of the possibility of Irish beef getting into China with Vice President Xi Jinping, on the following day the premier, Mr. Wen Jiabao, was happy to acknowledge that he had instructed that the process by which this could become a reality would be set in train. As Deputy Adams is aware, this is a matter that has to be dealt with by scientific analysis and the examination of lesions under laboratory conditions. It is not just an issue of politics where one can say, "Release Irish beef into China", but that process is in train and was endorsed by the interactions with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he was there quite recently. Obviously, UCD has signed a very important strategic agreement arising from the most recent visit of the Minister to China.

In so far as the global reputation is concerned, we are anxious to have an understanding on the basis of trust with the Chinese people. They like to think that the Government and Irish people are serious. They know from their reflections on the kind of country that we are now, those who are working here and those who continue to invest here how important this is.

Deputy Martin raised a question with me about visas. He is aware that the Minister, Deputy Shatter, changed the rules to be more flexible here. I have to say that the figures are mind-blowing in the sense that the Chinese have to create 27 million new jobs per year and there are 8 million graduates leaving university each year. By 2020, they expect that 100 million Chinese people will be travelling on holidays abroad. The visa waiver function is of great interest to them.

I also met a number of companies that are interested in and talking about the possibility - I stress "possibility" - of direct flights to Ireland. Clearly, for Chinese visitors a long layover in Abu Dhabi or Frankfurt for seven or eight hours is a deterrent to a direct flight. They have got the capacity for that now.

I am also to meet a number of interested Chinese investors over the period ahead.

As the trade delegations and ministerial visits harden up, we will be happy to let people know about them so that there may be opportunities for Deputies to suggest one company or another could be considered as well. To be honest with the Deputy, I am not sure whether I met individual representatives of the companies that he mentioned. I attended a number of these business organisation meetings and breakfasts at which there were 300 to 400 people. It was important that they could make contact with the leader while he or she was there. In that sense I was happy to interact with all of them at some stage. The list of companies was extensive and some of their representatives travelled out long before the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and me. We were happy to engage with them and their Chinese colleagues and I witnessed the signing of contracts of interest to Irish companies to the value of at least €35 million.

I can follow up with the company in Dundalk which the Deputy mentioned. I am sure it is of interest to the company but the Government is anxious to pursue the matter in a realistic way. A number of working groups will have to be set up with a direct and realistic engagement with our Chinese counterparts in order to make these things become a reality.

It was memorable to see the tricolour on every lamppost in Tiananmen Square, which was symbolic of China's engagement with the Irish delegation.

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