Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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624. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the degree to which she anticipates trade with the USA to improve; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25991/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The US remains one of Ireland’s most important partners for trade and investment. Goods exports from Ireland to the US in 2016, increased by 13% and imports increased by 14%.  In fact in the last four years our goods trade with the US has increased by 54%.  Data available for Q1 of this year, shows a further increase in the value of our goods trade with the US, when compared to Q1 last year.

The latest data available for Services trade shows a 34 % increase in services exports to the US in 2015 and a 20% rise in services imports from the US compared to the previous year.   

I am hopeful that the value of Ireland-US trade will continue to increase and the general indicators are strong.  However, the global trading environment is uncertain, particularly in light of Brexit and protectionist messaging from the new US administration.

The US is of course a key market in Ireland’s new Trade Strategy ‘Ireland Connected’ which seeks to expand Ireland’s export trade and to stimulate FDI.  Our programme of trade and investment missions and high level visits to the US have provided a key foundation on which to further build our strong economic and trading links with the US and these will continue into the future.

Overall, export growth in Ireland in recent years has been exceptionally strong and exports continue to contribute positively to growth.  In 2016, the value of exports from Ireland reached €249 billion, the highest on record.  This was the seventh successive year for year-on- year export growth.  Since 2009, the value of exports from Ireland has risen by over 60%.