Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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222. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the material changes that have occurred in his Department since responsibility for trade shifted from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to his Department; the nature of his responsibility for the relevant trade agencies, Enterprise Ireland and the Industrial Development Agency; his trade objectives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38863/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Economic diplomacy, including trade promotion, is a central part of the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and of Ireland’s network of Embassies and Consulates abroad. My Department is committed to using its full resources, at headquarters and through the Embassy network, to promote Ireland’s economic and trading interests, cultural profile and reputation internationally, thereby contributing to the continued recovery and development of the domestic economy. The transfer of certain trade promotion functions from the then Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation to the then Department of Foreign Affairs in June 2011 gave my Department an enhanced role in trade promotion. The responsibilities transferred included chairmanship and management of the Export Trade Council (ETC), the handling of Joint Economic Commissions (JECs) and coordination with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (DJEI) and Enterprise Ireland (EI) on the annual programme of EI ministerial led trade missions.

The ETC has met twice annually since it was established in late 2011 and I will be chairing the 7 meeting on 4 November 2014. Overall, the ETC aims to strengthen cooperation and coordination across all Government Departments and State agencies involved in the promotion and development of trade, tourism, investment and education, as well as overseeing the implementation of the Government Trade, Tourism and Investment Strategy. A Review of the Strategy was published by my Department in February of this year.

My Department coordinates Ireland’s participation in JECs with China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Libya (currently in abeyance). As a formal bilateral intergovernmental body, dealing with trade development in all its aspects, the JEC format provides a forum for discussing issues that relate to trade development between the two countries involved, serving to further the development of economic and business relations, as well as scientific and technological cooperation. So far this year, Ireland has held JECs with Saudi Arabia (February) and Russia (April). My Department is currently preparing for the forthcoming JEC with South Korea on 4 December 2014.

The transfer of certain trade promotion functions has resulted in an even closer working relationship with the State agencies. At the beginning of each year, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade coordinate the annual EI programme of ministerial-led trade missions. Trade missions to Mexico and Australia will take place in this quarter and I will also address the EI-arranged Financial Services and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) dinner in London on 13 November.

DJEI retains lead responsibility for trade policy, which includes representing Ireland’s trade interests in the context of the EU Common Commercial Policy and at the World Trade Organisation. In addition, DJEI is the parent Department for Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Industrial Development Agency (IDA).

The work of the Embassy network, being uniquely placed to influence key decision makers and opinion formers around the world, is essential to efforts to enhance Ireland’s international reputation and to drive economic recovery through the promotion of trade, tourism, investment and education. In 2013, the Embassy network supported a total of 136 high-level visits with a significant economic or promotional dimension across 52 countries. The Embassy network also undertook more than 730 engagements to facilitate trade and investment supporting jobs in Ireland, as well as more than 660 specific engagements to promote Ireland’s economic position to office-holders worldwide. Ambassadors and Embassy staff engaged with over 1,150 representatives of the international media to promote Ireland’s profile and global reputation, and key messages on Ireland’s economic recovery and its strengths as a location for foreign investment were promoted in opinion articles and interviews in the international media reaching more than 53 million people. Speeches and public presentations by Embassy staff promoted Ireland’s interests directly to audiences of over 778,000 around the world.

Further recent examples of the contribution the Embassy network makes overseas in support of Irish trade, in cooperation with the relevant Departments and State agencies, include the lifting of a ban on Irish beef exports to Japan, opening up a market potentially worth €15 million annually; the lifting of a longstanding region-wide ban on imports of Irish beef and sheep meat to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain; and the securing of full market access to China for salmon exports.