Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour)
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159. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when he expects the next trade mission to the US to occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30252/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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My Department and its Embassy network support a range of trade missions in close co-operation with the relevant State Agencies. Minister of State White has just returned from leading an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to the US from 19 to 21 June, organised with the support our Consulate General in New York, which targeted the life science industry in Pennsylvania. Minister Bruton is scheduled to lead an IDA Investment Mission to the US East Coast from 14 to 19 October. The Mission will be organised by the IDA in cooperation with the Consulate General in New York and will focus on attracting FDI to Ireland. Trade promotion and economic messaging are, of course, key elements in the majority of Ministerial visits abroad and this was particularly so during the recent St. Patrick’s Day period when I travelled to Atlanta, New Orleans and Washington DC to promote Ireland’s economic and political interests in the US. The centrepiece of my programme in Atlanta was an ‘Invest in Ireland’ Business Leaders Forum organised by the IDA in conjunction with our Consulate General, while the programme for New Orleans included business networking, political and cultural events. My programme for Washington DC included participation in meetings with President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry, and a number of high level political meetings during which the proposed Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership and Ireland’s economic recovery were among the items discussed. I will be visiting Washington DC again next month, primarily on immigration matters, but I will again take the opportunity to reinforce the message of Ireland being open for business and on a clear path to renewed economic growth in my contacts on Capitol Hill.