Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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39. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the countries with whom Ireland has diplomatic relations who have never received an Irish Ministerial visit; if he is considering making progress regarding same in view of the economic opportunities it might create for Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24945/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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We currently maintain diplomatic relations with 176 states. Economic and trading opportunities are a key focus in those relations. While the research involved in identifying countries which have not received a Ministerial visit since the foundation of the State would be disproportionate in the current context, I can assure the Deputy that Ministerial visits are a central part of the Government’s Trade Strategy which is overseen by the Export Trade Council, which I chair, and implemented on the ground abroad in our priority markets by Ambassadorial-led local market teams.

Ministerial involvement in visits with an economic dimension is varied. For example, proposals for Ministerial-led trade missions to priority markets involving Enterprise Ireland client companies are submitted each year for consideration simultaneously to both the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and myself.

Delivering an intensive programme of Ministerial-led trade missions is a key commitment in the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs 2013. The number of Ministerial-led Enterprise Ireland trade missions conducted with the active support of the Embassy network has more than doubled over the past two years, up from eight in 2011 and 16 in 2012. In 2013, a record number of Ministerial-led Enterprise Ireland trade missions are scheduled. In order to leverage Ireland’s role as EU Presidency, trade missions in the first half of 2013 are mainly Europe-focused, with an increased focus on high growth economies in Asia, the Middle East and South America in the second half of the year. As part of the programme co-ordinated and approved by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and myself, over 1,000 Enterprise Ireland client companies will take part in 18 Ministerial-led trade missions and 87 international events during the year in major target markets in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

I led a trade mission to Turkey last month involving 24 Enterprise Ireland client companies. Deals secured during the visit are expected to reach well over €30m in value.

We have also ensured that the programme of Ministerial travel for St Patrick’s Day is used to greatest possible effect in terms of economic and trade promotion. This year it comprised Ministerial visits to 21 countries, including a senior Ministerial visit to the Philippines and Indonesia for the first time, to Saudi Arabia for the first time in over a decade, and to Japan and South Korea for the first time since 2010.

In addition to these missions, whenever Ministers travel on official business overseas, every effort is made to ensure that appropriate opportunities are taken for a substantive economic and promotional dimension to the visit.

In April for example, Minister of State for Trade and Development, Joe Costello TD, was the first Irish Minister to visit Mongolia, where he attended the summit of the Community of Democracies Ministerial and, while there, had a series of bilateral engagements, including meeting the Foreign Minister of Mongolia, Luvsanvandan Bold, Irish business people resident in Ulaanbaatar, representatives of a number of Mongolian Government Ministries, and a leading mobile internet and telephony company which utilises the services of an Irish technology company.

I would note also that our Embassy network continues to be strongly focused on supporting opportunities for trade, investment and tourism in all their countries of accreditation, including where they are not resident, assisted in many cases by our Honorary Consuls and local Irish business networks and organisations.

Our Ambassador in Hanoi, for example, last week led a delegation of Irish companies to Myanmar/Burma. The visit, which was organised in close co-operation with Enterprise Ireland, was the first ever trade trip by a group of Irish companies to Myanmar/Burma.