Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 160: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the particular economic indicators arising from the growth or fall in imports and exports in the 12 months to date as compared with each 12 month period in the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45304/08]

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Over the last five years the contribution of net exports to Irish economic growth has fluctuated year on year. In 2003 it was +1.49%; in 2004 +0.43%; in 2005 it was negative, at -1.29%; in 2006 +0.21% and in 2007 net exports contributed +2.64% to economic growth. For the first half of 2008 the relevant figure was +1.42%.

In the calendar years 2003-2007, annual growth in total Irish exports has averaged 6.74%, while imports rose by an average of 8.23%. In relation to merchandise exports, the growth has averaged 2.07%, while services exports grew at an average of 15.33% during this period. The corresponding average figure for the increase in merchandise imports was 7.25%, while services imports averaged an increase of 9.19%.

Services exports have risen steadily from being 31% of total exports in 2003 to 42% in 2007. Of our total exports of €154.73 billion in 2007, our trade surplus was €26,043 billion. This very positive trend was achieved despite poor economic growth in many of our trading partners and also against the backdrop of adverse exchange rate trends in our two biggest export markets, the United States and the United Kingdom, due to the rise of the Euro against both the US Dollar and Sterling.

The latest available merchandise trade data for the period up to August 2008 shows that for January-August this year, when compared to the same period in 2007, exports fell by 4%, with a 7% fall in imports. The CSO's figures also show that services exports for the six months ending June 2008 (latest available), when compared to the same period for 2007, rose by4.65%, while imports were up 8.23%.