Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 86: To ask the Taoiseach his plans for foreign visits in the time ahead. [4779/12]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I will be travelling to the United States on three occasions in February and March. I will travel to New York to participate in the Invest in Ireland round-table hosted by former President Bill Clinton on 9 February. This is the event which President Clinton undertook to organise when he attended the Global Irish Economic Forum which we held in Dublin Castle last October. I will return to the United States on 15 February for a series of engagements in Boston and New York including a number of business meetings, both with Irish firms doing business in the US, and with US firms investing in Ireland. I will also meet with representatives of the Irish communities there.

While in Boston, I will take up an invitation to give a lecture at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. I will travel to the United States in March for the traditional St Patrick's Day meetings and celebrations. I will also use the opportunity of the visit - at a time of the year when Ireland enjoys the highest of profiles around the world - to visit Chicago and New York as well as Washington to further promote Irish business interests in the US as well as highlighting the attraction of Ireland as a location for US investment.

I will attend the meetings of the European Council scheduled for 1-2 March, 28-29 June, 18-19 October and 13-14 December. Arrangements for other meetings with key European partners are under consideration in light of on-going developments. Further visits are envisaged for the latter half of 2012 in the context of Ireland's 2013 Presidency of the Council of the EU.