Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 17, inclusive, together.

I met the US Secretary of State, Ms Hillary Clinton, on 6 December 2012 when she was in Dublin to attend the OSCE ministerial conference. It was a great pleasure for me to welcome the Secretary of State back to Dublin. I took the opportunity to thank her in person, on behalf of the Irish people, for her long-standing commitment to and friendship with this country. Since I met her in Dublin, Mrs. Clinton has stepped down from her role as Secretary of State. I have written to her on behalf of the Irish Government to formally thank her for her sustained and invaluable contribution to the process of building peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland, convey the abiding regard that the Irish people hold for her and wish her well in whatever her future holds.

When we met in December, we had very useful and wide-ranging discussions. I updated her on the measures being undertaken by the Government to lead Ireland's economy to a sustainable recovery. As our meeting took place on the day after the budget, it was a good opportunity to discuss the Government's emphasis on jobs and growth. I also discussed the importance of Ireland's bilateral economic relationship with the US. I reiterated that stronger trade and investment ties are a major strategic goal of our transatlantic alliance. I highlighted the welcome conclusion of an agreement between Ireland and the US on the foreign account tax compliance Act, FATCA. The FATCA agreement is important in demonstrating Ireland's commitment to tax co-operation and international exchange of tax information. Mrs. Clinton commented specifically on the recent progress that has been made under the US-Ireland research and development partnership. I agreed this was a worthwhile programme and expressed my support for its future development.

We discussed the ongoing challenges facing the global economy and, in particular, the need for the EU to continue to work to resolve its economic and financial difficulties. I also briefed her on our plans and priorities for our Presidency of the Council of the European Union, including our hope to make real progress in advancing an EU-US free trade agreement. She expressed hope that significant progress would be made towards the free trade agreement during the Irish Presidency, as this would be a very important and positive development for the international economy. There has been significant progress in recent weeks on this agenda and we can now look forward to what I hope will be focused and successful negotiations on a comprehensive transatlantic trade and investment partnership. I look forward to Ireland's playing a key role in instigating negotiations in the context of our Presidency.

The Secretary of State and I discussed our countries' respective election to the United Nations Human Rights Council. We reaffirmed our ongoing commitment to working together on a range of issues in the international arena, including global hunger, and further deepening and strengthening the US-Ireland relationship.

We also discussed recent developments in Northern Ireland. I welcomed her planned visit to Belfast the following day and thanked her for her swift condemnation of the murder of the Northern Ireland prison officer David Black in November. I expressed the Government's appreciation for her unwavering support for the process of building peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. We agreed that while we have seen significant progress in recent years, we could not allow complacency to take hold. We did not specifically discuss the cases of Marian Price, Pat Finucane or the Boston papers. I reiterated that international support has played a key role in what has been achieved so far in Northern Ireland and emphasised that we greatly value the sustained and continuing US interest in both parts of the island. For her part, she reiterated her strong support for the peace process and said that she was very much looking forward to her visit to Belfast.

I also referred to the positive developments in the Ireland-UK relationship represented by the joint statement signed by myself and the UK Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron, last March, and the very positive announcement by the Prime Minister that the G8 meeting in June would be held in County Fermanagh. At our bilateral meeting in London yesterday, the Prime Minister and I agreed that we would use our respective roles in the Presidency and the G8 chairmanship to press for the launch of negotiations on an EU-US free trade agreement this June.

I commended the Secretary of State on her efforts to end the violence in Syria and the conflict in Gaza. I also expressed solidarity with the victims of Hurricane Sandy and referred to the letters of support I had sent to the US on behalf of the Irish people. I expect to meet families from some of the areas affected next week. Finally, I thanked her for her extraordinary contribution to the peoples of this island and extended my best wishes to her for the future, in whatever path she chooses.

Later this week I will have the privilege of travelling to the United States for the annual St. Patrick's Day visit. This year, my visit will run from Friday, 15 March to Friday, 22 March. Relations between Ireland and the United States are based on a deep and long-standing bond of friendship between our two countries, but they are also based on deeply-rooted economic, social and cultural ties. Strengthening these ties is a key priority for the Government and we will continue to work on ensuring that Ireland's relations with the US remain vibrant. My upcoming visit to the US presents another opportunity to further strengthen these relations. My programme includes events in Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Seattle.

While in Washington I will meet with President Obama in the White House and also attend the traditional Speaker's lunch on Capitol Hill. My programme also includes a breakfast meeting with Vice President Biden as well as a number of meetings with political and business leaders and the Irish-American community. However, the Vice President may be in attendance in Rome if the conclave has elected a pope and the installation mass is on 19 March, the day scheduled for our proposed meeting. In New York I will meet with Mayor Bloomberg and visit the Rockaways area in Queens which was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

My west coast engagements will include a series of meetings with US companies as well as indigenous Irish companies operating in the US. My main focus throughout the trip will be to highlight the very significant progress made towards Ireland's economic recovery and to emphasise Ireland's strengths as a location for foreign direct investment and overseas visitors and to promote Irish companies as a source of high quality products and services. I will also use my visit to highlight the importance of an EU-US transatlantic trade and investment partnership and to advance our efforts to see formal negotiations launched during the Irish Presidency of the EU.

I also anticipate that recent events in Northern Ireland will feature in my discussions. I hope to meet the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in Washington DC. Both Prime Minister Cameron and I agreed yesterday on the centrality of the values and principles of the Good Friday Agreement and the importance of the institutions that it created. We intend to continue working with the US Administration to consolidate and build on the progress that has been made in Northern Ireland over many years.

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