Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 63: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the work he has done regarding trade missions and identifying opportunities for inwards investment. [14507/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Trade and business events are included in my programme of meetings overseas wherever possible. I take every opportunity to advance Ireland's economic interests, particularly given the importance of export-led growth to our economic recovery. I have done so at meetings with my counterparts from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Australia and New Zealand in recent weeks and I will be doing so this week in Vienna. Trade missions constitute a valuable support to Irish business, in terms of establishing credibility with and gaining access to target markets. The Taoiseach will lead a trade mission to China later this year and I hope to visit Russia, Japan and Korea in the autumn myself. During the visit to Russia a meeting of the Ireland-Russia Joint Economic Commission is planned. My colleague, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, led a trade mission to India and Saudi Arabia in April.

The Export Trade Council, which will be established shortly, and which I will chair, will consider the overall programme of trade missions and seek to integrate trade, tourism and investment promotion activities. My Department, Enterprise Ireland and the Department for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, in particular, will work closely together in the planning for these trade missions.

As the Deputy will be aware, the promotion of inward investment in the manufacturing and internationally-traded services industries is a function of IDA Ireland under the aegis of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. IDA is implementing its strategy Horizon 2020 which has ambitious targets for the period 2010 to 2014

My Department and our Embassy Network will continue to work closely with the IDA in its role of securing inward investment for Ireland, including in the emerging BRIC markets which have been identified as an important element of the Horizon 2020 strategy.