Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I proposed to answer Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together.

On Thursday, 11 October, I travelled to the United States for a series of engagements in Philadelphia and Cleveland. The visit was part of the Government's ongoing efforts to drive economic recovery and employment by delivering the message to international business people and investors, and to the diaspora, that Ireland is open for business. This was my first visit to Philadelphia as Taoiseach and I was delighted to meet Mr. Tom Corbett, Governor of Pennsylvania, on Friday morning. We noted the special relationship that Ireland enjoys with the state of Pennsylvania by virtue of the presence there of so many people of Irish heritage. We noted in particular the significant contribution of successive generations of Irish people to the building of Philadelphia. I briefed the governor on Ireland's progress towards economic recovery and on our current bilateral business relations with the United States.

I met some of the leading supporters of the American Ireland Funds in Philadelphia. I recognised the contribution made by the Ireland Funds to worthy causes in Ireland as well as to supporting links between Ireland and the US. I addressed the Brehon Law Society symposium on Doing Business in the US and Ireland, attended by over 200 experts and business people. In my address I spelt out how Ireland has become more competitive and represents an excellent investment opportunity for US companies. Later that morning I performed the official opening of the Philadelphia office of Zenith technologies, which is an excellent example of a high-tech Irish indigenous company which is making significant headway in the US market. I am convinced that it is ambitious exporting Irish companies such as Zenith that will drive Ireland's economic recovery. While in Philadelphia I also met briefly representatives of the Irish American Business Network and a number of Irish community groups.

Later I travelled to Cleveland for a series of further engagements, including an address at the City Club of Cleveland, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. In this address I again outlined the positive measures being taken by the Irish Government to stabilise our finances and to return our economy to competitiveness and growth, while highlighting the attractions of Ireland as a location for business and investment. I emphasised the importance of transatlantic trade and investment links between the United States of America and the European Union. These links are vital to both the European and American economies, especially given the crucial importance to both of us of growth and recovery. I said that I strongly believed that concluding a comprehensive trade agreement between the United States and the European Union would take this relationship to a new level and I will be aiming to make as much progress towards this goal as possible when Ireland assumes the Presidency of the European Union in January 2013.

While in Cleveland I participated in a number of other business events to support Irish companies expanding into the US, as well as to promote Ireland as a location for inward investment. Some of these Irish companies are doing business with the prestigious Cleveland Clinic in the health care and technology sectors. I was greatly impressed by the first class facilities which I saw at the clinic, where I also met with senior clinical and research teams who outlined the practices and research being undertaken there. While I was in Cleveland, I was delighted to officially announce the new strategic partnership between the Enterprise Ireland supported company i360 Medical and the Cleveland Clinic, including an investment from the Cleveland Clinic in the company.

On Saturday morning, I met the Mayor of Cleveland, Mr. Frank G. Jackson, at the City Hall. Following our meeting we both attended a public event at the Irish Garden, which is part of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. The gardens represent the contribution that immigrants have made to the heritage of the US over the centuries. Mayor Jackson and I both addressed representatives of the Irish American community at this landmark Irish site. I also met members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, where we discussed immigration issues and the prospects of an Irish E3 visa being agreed. I was delighted on Saturday evening to have an opportunity to attend and address the eighth annual charity ball hosted by the Mayo Society of Greater Cleveland and to honour the bonds that connect Cleveland and County Mayo. I returned home later that night.

While in the US I also used my various speaking opportunities to promote The Gathering 2013 throughout the region and was very encouraged by the reaction we are getting to this important initiative, which will be held during the course of 2013. I am delighted that British Prime Minister Cameron has confirmed that next year's G8 summit will be held in Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, as this will no doubt give a great boost to the region. Although it is too early to speculate on an invitation being extended to American President Obama to make a state visit to Ireland around that time, when I recently spoke to the president on the telephone to congratulate him on his re-election, I mentioned my firm hope that he would be in a position to visit Ireland again following his very successful visit last year.

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