Results 261-280 of 12,828 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: Next year, we will expand the local enterprise office budget by €9 million. Next year, LEOs mark their tenth birthday. Deputy Bruton was the creator of them all those years ago. We are tightening the connection between the local enterprise offices and Enterprise Ireland. The companies that have the capacity to export and want to export will have a relatively seamless transition and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: What I would say to companies that are thinking about it and maybe have a fear, because it is a big step to make, is that the support available, having seen it first-hand during the recent trip, is extraordinary. It is tailored to the company, its markets and its ability to deliver. It is definitely worth engaging with Enterprise Ireland on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: Regarding CETA, there was a Supreme Court decision last year, which is currently being assessed by the Attorney General. The Deputy is looking at one aspect of CETA. There is so much more to it. I make no apologies that Ireland is an advocate for fair trade and free trade. The kind of opportunities and the potential that she has spoken about are embedded and wrapped up in free trade. We...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: There is absolutely a bigger interest. Post Brexit, we were hit by the pandemic, which has made some Canadian companies a little more cautious about investment. Our approach during the recent trade mission was to meet existing clients, predominantly, and to reflect on their investments. Some of them have increased employment in the context of Brexit and the expanded opportunities, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: The Attorney General is going through all the issues involved and we await his judgment. I would not be cheeky enough to give the Attorney General a timeline. There is a very strong relationship between both countries economically, societally and culturally and it is in our interest to develop and strengthen it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: I agree with the ambition. I acknowledge the Deputy is the chair of the Ireland–Canada parliamentary friendship group, and I thank him for his work on this. I agree with him in that I know the growth can be achieved. I have seen the work of some of the companies. As I said to Deputy O’Reilly, we, particularly Enterprise Ireland, have identified fintech. We had a very good...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: Not that I am aware of. We are trying to bed down what we have. Other markets are also demanding our attention but I know the team in Toronto services the area pretty diligently. We had some companies from Saskatchewan with us during the trip, given the connections there. Ideally, I would love to have more bodies and resources in the region but it is an Enterprise Ireland matter. I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: Some of them are. If they are hungry enough, they are. I do not mean that in a smart way; it is just that we got a sense of it from the companies we met, which were in construction and fintech. The whole plan of one of them was to set up its product and service so as to invest in Canada. It did that during Covid. Others have built on existing relationships and solutions and have adjusted...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: We had some very good meetings, many of which were actually in Cork, which seems to have a good Canadian presence. I will do my best for the people of Cork.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: We have two IDA Ireland executives in Toronto at the moment, and they are backed up by the North American team, who give them really good support. I thank Mark Shorten, vice president for financial services and life sciences. He led out on this and did considerable work. I also thank Deirdre Moran, the country manager. We met representatives of several companies that are very happy with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: I did not put on the jersey.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: I think there is. We already have a huge presence. Off the top of my head, I do not know how many Canadian students are here in Ireland. They are one of the biggest cohorts that are here to study at third and fourth level. I know the Minister, Deputy Harris, was out there earlier this year as part of the St. Patrick's Day missions. He had engagements in his capacity with colleges in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: I acknowledged the strength of the relationship. I did not have the chance, though James Maloney was due to join us. He is highly thought of among the Irish community and our officials, and he is somebody who is a very good friend. I did not have the chance to meet him. I have to say that the current Canadian ambassador to Ireland is an absolutely wonderful force of energy. She is all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: On Deputy Shanahan's first point, I did not meet anybody with a Waterford accent, but I met somebody from Newfoundland with the biggest Donegal accent I have ever heard, and she has never been in Ireland. The connections are strong in Newfoundland in particular. We have to ratify every trade deal. All trade deals have to be ratified by the Oireachtas. This is an EU-Canada trade deal so...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: Again, I will make the point that the Attorney General is going to make the financial conclusion. Without referring to CETA specifically, we are a small country. We maybe like to think of ourselves as being a bit bigger than we are. We need trade, and we need free and open trade. Trade agreements have been the foundation of our economic success, and our ability to use trade agreements at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: We are by no means the first.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: I do not have specific figures on food and drink, but I know that Canada exported nearly $82 billion worth of agriculture and food products last year. Enterprise Ireland is trying to identify the opportunities that are there for Irish companies to assist some of that market. As I said, we launched a partnership with Moffett engineering systems, which is the new generation of the Moffett...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: Before we conclude, I thank the committee. It was an interesting discussion. I assure members, before they travel out there, of the strength of the relationship, which, as I said, goes back generations, and the ambition on both sides of this relationship in terms of expanding it, not only in business and economically but also culturally and socially. They will get a sense of that strength...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: I am conscious that this is subject to agreement but one cannot cherry-pick bits of the deal that suit. The Government has gone through every aspect of the CETA deal and feels it is good for Irish companies and Canadian companies, and that it will strengthen our relationship and even the business and commercial relationship. The Deputy will get a sense of that when she visits. Hopefully,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland-Canada Trade Relations: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Dara Calleary: The Department and the unit are in regular contact to try to get a sense of progress. We do not have a timeline on it. In fairness to him, and I know from other issues we are dealing with him on, his office is pretty stretched. It is important that we get clarity. The relationship is there, and the potential relationship is absolutely enormous. Building on potential - and using every...