Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of new jobs created by his Department as a result of the jobs initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37278/12]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of new jobs created by his Department as a result of the action plan on jobs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37294/12]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of new jobs created by his Department as a result of Budget 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37310/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 to 152, inclusive, together.

My Department is committed to supporting trade, tourism and investment as fundamental elements of ensuring future export led growth and contributing to job creation in Ireland. A core high level goal of the current strategy of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to 2014 is to promote Ireland’s economic interests in Europe and internationally. My Department works closely with all the other relevant Departments and State Agencies with an interest in promoting Ireland overseas to achieve this goal.

The Programme for Government set protecting and creating jobs as a key objective and, to that end, the Government established a dedicated Department, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to take this work forward. It is, of course, a task shared across Government, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. As envisaged in the Action Plan for Jobs and the Strategy for Trade, Tourism and Investment, I have made clear that it is a priority task for every part of our Embassy network to work closely with the State Agencies in identifying new opportunities and supporting trade and investment promotion in their countries of accreditation, as well as in establishing coordinated market plans of activity under the Government’s trade strategy.

Local Market Teams chaired by the relevant Ambassador and comprising representatives of the locally based State Agencies have been established in all of the priority markets identified under the Trade Strategy. These teams execute detailed market plans which aim to optimise the overall resources of Embassies and Agencies to deliver ambitious targets. Progress on implementing our Trade Strategy by these Local Market Teams is monitored by the Export Trade Council, which I established and which I chair and which will have its third meeting on 20 September.

Since becoming Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I have also been active in promoting opportunities for Irish companies overseas, both through targeted trade missions organised by Enterprise Ireland and in the course of broader working visits abroad. The Action Plan for Jobs set a target of 12 trade missions each year. I am pleased to say that, in addition to the Saint Patrick’s Day ministerial programme which in many cases included trade focussed events, so far this year 10 Enterprise Ireland-led trade missions have taken place, supported in each case by our Embassy network, and a further 8 are scheduled to take place between now and the end of the year.

As outlined in the Action Plan for Jobs, the Government has repeatedly stated its belief that our Diaspora can make a meaningful contribution to Ireland’s economic recovery. The Global Irish Network, which is managed by my Department, is a central element of the Government’s engagement with the Diaspora in support of our economic goals. Following the Global Irish Economic Forum in October 2011, Network members and the wider Diaspora have been working with my Department, our Embassy network and our State Agencies on a number of initiatives in support of our job creation goals, including: the development by Enterprise Ireland and my Department of the Global Irish Contacts Programme, several events aimed at highlighting Ireland as a premier FDI location – for example, the Invest in Ireland Roundtable in New York with President Clinton in February 2012 and the “Invest in Ireland Forum” with Coca Cola to coincide with the Notre Dame v Navy football game in late August - as well as significant support for The Gathering, and the Succeed in Ireland initiative.

The Government has also formalised the involvement of Global Irish Network members in trade missions and the Export Trade Council has requested Embassies and Local Market Teams to consider, where appropriate, the involvement of GIN members when planning and organising activities in their respective regions. In addition to the formal projects undertaken by the Global Irish Networks, our overseas communities, business organisations and Chambers of Commerce continue to work with our Embassy network and State Agencies to promote Ireland and to assist Irish companies seeking to break into new markets.