Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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96. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to report on his recent meeting with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57158/25]

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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The Tánaiste recently met with the Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, in Washington. He might outline the progress that was made as a result of that meeting.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Burke for the question. I met Secretary Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, on 25 September at the Department of Commerce in Washington DC as part of a broader bilateral visit to the US. This meeting provided me with a valuable opportunity to discuss the dynamic economic, trade and investment relationship that exists between our two countries, as well as the implementation of the joint statement on an EU-US framework agreement on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade, which was published on 21 August. This meeting followed on from my last visit to Washington DC in April and reflects our ongoing dialogue with the US Administration on trade and economic issues.

We discussed a variety of issues of critical interest to Irish businesses and people. I highlighted the mutually beneficial economic relationship between Ireland and the United States, which continues to create jobs and opportunities for both Irish and American citizens and businesses. I briefed Secretary Lutnick on our new economic impact report, which measures Ireland’s trade and investment across the US and the fact that as the fifth largest source of FDI into the US, Irish businesses are employing over 200,000 people across the United States, including in every single state in the US.

On tariffs, as the Deputy would expect, I raised the potential expansion of the list of goods exempt from the baseline 15% tariff rate, including the need to look for carve-outs for spirits and the medtech sector. We discussed the issue of ongoing US section 232 national security investigations into the pharmaceuticals and semiconductor sectors and I raised the impact of the expansion of the section 232 measures on steel and aluminium and the detrimental effects on Irish manufacturers, particularly in the agritech sectors. I raised the recent US proposal to raise the cost of H-1B visa applications, and noted the importance of pathways for mobility for high-skilled workers, innovators and job creators.

The meeting with Secretary Lutnick was an important opportunity to ensure that senior interlocutors in the Administration are fully aware and briefed on Irish priorities, views and concerns in respect of the wider transatlantic trade and business environment. It also allowed for a more detailed understanding from us of US thinking in policy areas of crucial importance for Ireland, and the interests of our businesses and citizens.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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One of the problems we have with the US is that there is a view out there, especially in America, that it is a one-way street. America thinks that we have all the advantages in the sense that we export quite a large volume of goods, especially in the pharmaceutical area. The point the Tánaiste made that Irish companies have created over 200,000 jobs there indicates that it is very much a two-way process. We need to sell that message a bit more strongly. While we have the EU Presidency, which is not too far away, the point that we can sell is that by having a business in Ireland, you have access to a huge European market. That is extremely important. How are we changing strategy to sell that from an American point of view, to emphasise that it is not just about manufacturing goods to go into America but that there is an opportunity for American companies to be based here in Ireland and to get access to the European market of 460 million people?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Burke is so right. We have to constantly push back against that idea of it being a one-way street because that is not what the economic relationship is, as the Deputy rightly says. There are over 200,000 Americans who got out of bed this morning, probably many of whom voted for President Trump, and went to work in Irish-owned companies in every state across the United States of America. It is a significant two-way flow. One of things we are doing to try to make that even more real now is by providing a breakdown state by state to see what it means in the state of Georgia, Illinois or California. That is an important way to be able to engage at that state level as well. We have had a number of governors here recently and we have been utilising that opportunity to talk about the state-by-state benefit of the two-way relationship.

The Deputy's second point is also really timely. We need to position ourselves, and we do, but we need to continue to take every opportunity. I always say US companies do not locate here for the weather. They locate here for a number of reasons, one of which is access to the massive market that is the European Union. Ireland is proudly a member of the European Union. We are proudly at the heart of it and we must remain there but we can also be somewhat of a bridge as a country within the European Union that understands, at least, the American perspective. Even if we do not always agree with it, at least we have that understanding of it.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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How much progress has been made on expanding the list of goods which will be exempt from the 15% tariff? Has progress been made on the cost of visa applications and is there likely to be further progress made over the next two to three months?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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On these visa applications, Secretary Lutnick was telling me he did not have direct responsibility for it but I made the point to him that what I am sure they do not wish to do is to have some sort of chilling effect on people who may wish to go and carry out critical roles in the US economy, or on the innovators and entrepreneurs who wish to establish businesses. I thought there was a need to have a good engagement on that. That engagement will continue and our embassy in Washington will continue that as well.

Being honest, on the chance of broadening the number of carve-outs, the American position - as opposed to ours - is to see successful implementation of the joint framework in the first instance, but that joint framework does include language around having further discussion and engagement. There has been a couple of missed opportunities here. Regarding the drinks industry, it makes no sense to have 15% tariffs in place. Not only does it not make sense from an Irish perspective but it does not make sense from a US perspective. There are Irish drinks companies that would want to establish more presence and job opportunities in the US that will put their decisions to invest in the US on hold as a result of the tariffs. Trying to broaden those conversations out in the time ahead will be important.