Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Clearly, with a population of 1.2 billion, more than one sixth of the world's population, India has become one of the fastest growing major economies on the globe. Since it began a campaign of economic liberalisation in 1991, India has recorded continuously high growth rates.

Currently, that growth is being propelled by sectors which include aviation, education, the agritech sector, medical devices, e-commerce and software-as-a-service, SWAS, offerings. Many of the sectors are areas where, as the Deputy pointed out, Irish companies have particular strengths and it is imperative, therefore, that we provide them with the appropriate supports to capitalise on this opportunity. The Prime Minister specifically mentioned the difficulties India is having with the Ganges, which is an enormous river of 2,500 miles. We have since made contact with the Prime Minister’s officials in respect of a number of Irish technology firms which deal with wastewater and its treatment that may be of interest or assistance to India.

As the Deputy pointed out, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, has invested significant effort in improving our trade links with India. Enterprise Ireland has an office in New Delhi, which offers in-market support for Irish businesses in India. IDA Ireland and Tourism Ireland both operate from Mumbai. All of those agencies participate in what is called the local market team. The team is chaired by our ambassador to India and it co-ordinates the trade and investment efforts of all the agencies under a shared market strategy and plan.

Nine focused trade missions have taken place to India during the lifetime of the Government. Clearly, they are an invaluable way of developing new and existing markets overseas for Irish businesses. In that context I can inform Deputy Adams that we have been very willing to associate with trade missions or Ministers from Northern Ireland.

India is one of the fastest growing tourist generating countries in the world. Tourism Ireland estimates that the number of Indian visitors coming here in 2014 increased by approximately 10% and 2015 will see a further increase. I will bring the Deputy up to date in respect of the flight connections when we see what is happening in this regard.

In respect of education, staff from the Department of Education and Skills and their colleagues in the education in Ireland section of Enterprise Ireland have been working to increase the educational links between the two countries. In 2012, there were approximately 850 Indian students in Ireland. The number has increased to approximately 1,500 students studying in Ireland, mainly for postgraduate degrees in engineering, the pharmaceutical area, business, accounting, computer sciences and hospitality management. A significant number of Irish institutes have developed links with Indian institutes and colleges.

The scholarships given by this country that are administered by the Higher Education Authority, HEA, and supported and funded by the Department of Education and Skills entitle scholars to a waiver of tuition fees of approximately €15,000 for the term of the scholarship and a grant to the value of €7,500 to cover living expenses. The scholarships are awarded to candidates who have an excellent academic record, and in the 2015 to 2016 academic year, seven Government of Ireland scholarships have been awarded to students from India. In addition to the Government of Ireland scholarship programme, Irish higher education systems and institutions offer in the region of 200 scholarships which target Indian students each year.

A number of negotiations took place in respect of the European Union-India free trade agreement negotiations. They broke down because of the mismatch between ambitions and expectations. The parties got together again and the Commission short-listed three areas where the European Union would like to see progress before entering a decision-making process. First, the EU needs to receive a very clear signal from India on the removal of barriers to other services sectors, including insurance, banking, maritime and accountancy. Second, the EU wants to finalise the goods package, which is a balanced automotive package, and the European Union red lines on duty rates on wines and spirits are critical. Third, the EU wants an agreement to finalise procurement negotiations by signature, including comprehensive coverage on market access to the central level and an overall chapter with allowances for sufficiently ambitious commitments.

A meeting of the chief trade negotiators on both sides, which was due to be held in Delhi in August, was indefinitely postponed by the Indian ministry for commerce and industry after the EU imposed a legally binding ban on the sale of approximately 700 pharma products clinically tested by GVK Biosciences in Hyderabad.

The EU-India free trade negotiations are of interest to Ireland. Dairy products and whiskeys are key areas of export opportunity, which are currently subjected to very restrictive tariffs and non-tariff barriers. We are of the view that it would be very desirable for further meetings to take place to put some momentum back into the discussions between Europe and India.

I can inform Deputy Adams that we discussed other issues such as membership of the UN Security Council, the Security Council veto, migration and a number of other related issues.

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