Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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346. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the current trade status with Japan; if this trade continues to grow; if Japanese companies are, or will be, involved in any public private partnership projects in the new capital programme; the value of this trade to the Irish economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35228/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has a strong trading relationship with Japan which has been growing in importance in recent years to the extent that Japan was our 10th largest trading partner in 2014.In 2014, exports in merchandise trade were €1.760 billion and imports were €1.761 billion. The equivalent merchandise trade figures for 2013 were exports of €1.7 billion and imports of €1.04 billion; and in 2012 exports were €2.1 billion and imports were €0.73 billion. Trade in services figures for 2014 are not yet available from the Central Statistics Office, but in 2013 services exports were €2.45 billion and imports were €0.84 billion. The equivalent trade in services figures for 2012 were exports of €2.49 billion and imports of €0.89 billion.

The new capital programme: ‘Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021’ was launched on September 29 and is primarily under the remit of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It has a budget of €27 billion over the 6 years of the Programme, and all projects will have an open and competitive procurement process.

Both national and international companies will be permitted to tender for Public Private Partnership projects which are part of the Programme. These have a combined value of around €500 million, and will be developed in the Justice, Education and Health sectors as part of the new capital programme.