Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)

There absolutely is. I continue to work with the Minister for enterprise, Deputy Peter Burke, and all colleagues across the Government.

On enterprise, there is considerable pressure on our whiskey distilling sector because 40% of the whiskey we export goes to the US. Changes such as those to tariffs have a direct impact on industries. I am working with the Minister, Deputy Burke, on his plans to develop an action plan on competitiveness and to help us to control the things we control.

We always consider market diversification. I am on record as saying the US tariffs challenge we face feels like Brexit mark 2. A key trading partner of ours is making or proposing a very significant policy shift, which will hurt us, our companies and consumers. It is really going to hurt US customers and companies. The EU has a role, and the EU response has an impact. Therefore, we have to use our position, based on our close bilateral relations with the US, to best articulate what exemplifies our position. It is a case of negotiating from a position of strength from the heart of the EU. That is the only place to be and it is exactly what we did during Brexit and what we will continue to do here. We will also seek to diversify our market opportunities, which is why I will travel to Japan and Korea next month and to China later this year. The Ministers of State, Deputies Dooley and Grealish, will also lead trade missions over the course of the year.

See this speech in context