Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 199: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of foreign trade missions attended by him, his junior Ministers or Department personnel in each of the past three years; the result of such missions; the potential employment positions created; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12452/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The following table sets out the foreign trade missions attended by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Minister of State responsible for trade and commerce and other Ministers, from 2003 to date. Departmental personnel do not attend in their own right but may accompany the Minister or Ministers of State on trade missions.

Government policy has been, for a number of years, to build on the strength of our existing markets and diversify into new ones. These trade missions raise Ireland's profile as a world class supplier of goods and tradeable services, and increase awareness of Ireland, in particular, our recent economic performance. Missions project Ireland as a competitive source of world class expertise and products. They win access for Enterprise Ireland clients to key decision-makers and influencers in target sectors.

The missions have helped to expand our trade performance, as shown by the most recent CSO trade statistics which showed a 5% increase in our exports for 2005 over the previous year, to €88.4 billion and our trade surplus is now €31.9 billion. Our healthy trade performance helps to safeguard and expand employment in our exporting businesses but the precise impact on employment of individual trade missions is difficult to quantify.