Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. The Tánaiste is very welcome to the Chamber today. Obviously, it has been a very interesting 24 hours. It is apt to have him in the Chamber to be able to address us on these pressing matters. When we talk about international relations and international trade, it is important first of all to look at our own country and where we are positioned. As the Tánaiste noted in his contribution, we come from a position of strength and we are at full employment. Since Fine Gael came into government in 2011, we have created more than 1 million jobs. We have surpluses in our budget every year. We set up a rainy-day fund in which there is €16 billion in place at the moment. These were difficult decisions to make. It would have been easier to spend that money in previous years but the prudent thing to do was to keep money aside for situations like this. That is important.

As a country, first and foremost we need to remain calm. I know that is what the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach and the Cabinet will do. Obviously, when we are in negotiations over the next number of weeks with the US, we will need to do it in collaboration with the EU because we come from a position of strength when we stay together. Obviously, each country has its own individual challenges. For us, the pharmaceutical sector is one major area. Although we do not have the full details, it seems welcome that pharmaceuticals might be excluded from the 20% tariff.

We are a bigger bloc than the USA. We have 450 million people in the European Union. If we need to respond, we need to respond with strength to President Trump. As a collective in this House and in the Lower House, we need to come together for the best interests of the Irish people. I hope we will do so in the coming weeks. I hear people talking about how we are over-reliant on American companies and on foreign direct investment, but I have not yet heard anyone say what companies we should not have brought into Ireland.

I come from Clonmel, County Tipperary, which has a proud history of foreign direct investment. Merck Sharp & Dohme, Boston Scientific and Abbott create huge employment in the region. Most foreign direct investment companies now locate outside of Dublin as opposed to in Dublin. As the Tánaiste said - I am acutely aware of this in Clonmel - it has a knock-on effect on employment for smaller businesses in the region. It is hugely important that we support it and that we have that foreign direct investment from America.

We need to open up markets too. There is one suggestion I will make to the Tánaiste in his new position as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, with trade having gone to his Department. The Department of trade and, in particular, the Department of Agriculture have played a key role in opening up new markets across the world. One market we need to prioritise is Taiwan. We used to have a trade office in Taiwan and we need to reopen it. Most of our European counterparts, 17 or 18 of them, have trade offices in Taiwan. We use the European office as a base but it does not really do the work for us. We are potentially losing companies coming into Ireland because we do not have a base there. Over the last number of weeks, we have looked at the impact these trade tariffs can have, particularly on the drinks industry and on Irish whiskey. Taiwan is the third biggest importer of whiskey across the world. This is an opportunity for us to be able to delve into that market. It is something we should do. On the two wars in Ukraine and Palestine, I think we need to remain strong in our support for Ukraine. We have done that from the start. Last week, we passed a Bill to give hosts an opportunity to continue housing Ukrainians for the next year. It is important to do that. As the Tánaiste said, we need to work with Zelenskyy and support the people of Ukraine.

In terms of Palestine, we have done an awful lot. We have gone above and beyond most countries. Obviously, there are criticisms and different views from different people in this House and others, but we have done a lot. We have recognised the ambassador and joined South Africa in its case. You get an awful lot of pressure and criticism from people from Israel about being too pro-Palestine and pro-Gaza. I have witnessed that but we have a moral obligation to support Palestine. I hope we can continue to do so over the next number of months.