Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The chief executive of Enterprise Ireland attends meetings of the Export Trade Council which is charged with ensuring a collaborative approach to building Ireland’s trade base. Working with the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade and of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, it mounts trade missions led at political level. A trade mission programme is discussed with the relevant Departments and State agencies before the beginning of each year and agreed to at the council. Enterprise Ireland also participates actively in the Global Irish Economic Forum which exploits the global Irish network to maximise benefits to the economy.

The joint committee was pleased to hear evidence that the working relationship between Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was strong at all levels and in overseas markets, as it should be. In Ireland the two organisations interact on a regular basis in a wide range of areas, including trade missions and trade events, joint economic commissions, economic messaging, compiling annual plans for each priority market and in other areas as need arises. Overseas, Enterprise Ireland is co-located with Irish embassies or consulates in 24 out of 30 office locations. There is strong collaboration in individual territories between the Enterprise Ireland team and the relevant embassy or consular office in areas such as information sharing, the establishment of priorities and the appropriate focus of activities in particular markets, the co-ordination of trade promotion activities, leveraging the Global Irish Network or other networks, establishing priorities for the joint economic commissions which Ireland has with four countries, organising ministerial visits and trade missions and seeking to influence the direction of local policy discussions where there are real barriers to growth in bilateral trade. Collaboration on messaging and reputational issues in markets such as China is particularly important in the promotion of services such as education.

In short, Enterprise Ireland collaborates closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and considers this essential for the achievement of Ireland’s full potential in international markets and to sustain and support new jobs in Ireland. As I stated, I am pleased to debate the report of the joint committee and will listen with interest to other Members before replying to their points in my second contribution.

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