Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 78: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans to undertake or lead trade missions to any of the following destinations Russia, China, India or Brazil; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12058/11]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 79: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the trade missions in which he proposes to participate during the remainder of 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12059/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 79 together.

Discussions are ongoing with the current Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation in relation to the transfer of trade promotion responsibilities to my Department. As arrangements have not yet been finalised, I am not in a position to comment in detail on future arrangements in relation to trade missions. However, I anticipate that the two Departments will work closely together in the context of the Export Trade Council in prioritising such missions in the future and they will certainly include visits to the four countries identified by the Deputy. As the Deputy will be aware China, India, Brazil and Russia are all priority markets identified in the Trading and Investing in a Smart Economy Strategy and will remain a key focus for this Government.

The Taoiseach will lead a trade mission to China later this year and the details of any Ministerial participation will be decided after the dates for the visit are confirmed. I hope to visit Moscow later this year myself and during that visit a meeting of the Ireland-Russia Joint Economic Commission is likely to take place. My colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, led a trade mission to India and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, with full support from our Embassies in those countries. I would add that the Embassies in each of the four priority markets identified by the Deputy and in all the other priority markets are very active, in close co-operation with the State Agencies, in pursuing Ireland's economic and trading interests.