Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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308. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of domestic enterprises that export to the UK; the approximate number of employees employed by such enterprises; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8024/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The UK is one of Ireland’s most important trading partners, accounting for about 17% of national exports. It is not possible to give the number of companies nationally that export to the UK.

However, in 2015, approximately 1,476 Enterprise Ireland (EI) clients exported to the UK, with reported exports of €7.5bn, up 12% on 2014. The UK is a natural first market for EI clients. These client companies employ over 100,000 people.

Since the Brexit vote in June 2016, the international economic environment has changed. Enterprise Ireland’s new Strategy 2017 – 2020 is cognisant of this and is therefore focused on inspiring and driving Irish enterprise to Build Scale, Expand and Reach by driving:

- Competitiveness:Improving the competitiveness of Irish companies through Lean programmes and new client engagement model, which will provide targeted supports based on agreed milestones.

- Diversification:Increasing the diversification of client company exports into new markets, with two-thirds of exports going beyond the UK. This includes a major focus on the Eurozone where we are targeting a 50 per cent increase in exports.

- Ambition:Inspiring more companies to have global ambition.

- Innovation: Driving innovation in Irish enterprise to unprecedented levels through new supports to reach the target of €1.25bn in R&D expenditure per annum by 2020.

In the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote in June 2016, Enterprise Ireland established a Brexit Unit to co-ordinate supports and activities and launched a five point plan focused on Information and Guidance, Market Diversification Support, International Sector Clustering Strategy, UK Market Support and Competitiveness and Market Development supports. Enterprise Ireland’s Development Advisers are proactively engaging with clients in tailoring an appropriate response at individual company level, for example in Lean manufacturing and Innovation projects to help companies improve and sustain their competitiveness in meeting the challenges arising from BREXIT.

The UK will continue to be a priority market due to Ireland’s size, geographic proximity and cultural ties. In the UK market, Enterprise Ireland is particularly working with companies who are most exposed in areas such as engineering, food, construction and timber to maintain their market share.

EI will be implementing a UK Market Development plan which focusses on sustaining exports in key sectors such as construction, agritech, aerospace and engineering and also identifying new growth opportunities in financial services, infrastructure/public sector, as well as a renewed focus on Scotland.