James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps she and Enterprise Ireland will take to promote Irish business in Taiwan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40875/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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In January 2017 Enterprise Ireland published its strategy for the period 2017-2020. The strategy was developed in the context of Brexit and focuses on supporting clients to both Build Scale and Expand Reach. Enterprise Ireland’s strategy seeks to inspire and drive Irish enterprise to ‘Build Scale, Expand Reach’ and has ambitious targets. Despite economic and market uncertainties, Enterprise Ireland’s strategic aims are to:

- Assist clients to create 60,000 new jobs by 2020 and to sustain the existing record level of jobs

- Grow annual exports by €5bn to €26bn per annum

- Increase the level of spend in the Irish economy by €4bn to €27bn per annum by 2020.

Enterprise Ireland will deliver on its ambitious targets by:

- 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.

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

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

- Ambition: Inspiring more companies to have global ambition.

Marketplace services for Irish companies targeting Taiwan are provided through Enterprise Ireland’s office in Hong Kong and locally in Taipei via a consultancy arrangement, which is managed by the Enterprise Ireland Hong Kong Manager.

Enterprise Ireland has adopted a sectoral approach to the “Greater” China market.  Enterprise Ireland works in close co-operation with the Embassy Network and colleagues from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other state agencies in China. 

The Enterprise Ireland Team is working proactively on key sectors across the region where there is a good fit between the market opportunity and the clusters of “market ready” clients in Ireland.  Such sectors include:

- Education Services

- Financial Services

- Software and Services

- Telecoms/Mobile Comms

- Semi Conductor Chip Design

Taiwan, accounted for €15.2m of total Enterprise Ireland client exports in 2016 – 1.6% of total client exports to “Greater China”.  This is almost evenly split Food and non-Food exports.

The Enterprise Ireland strategy is to service the market based on client demand via a well connected consultant (“pathfinder”) based in Taipei. This consultant will also interface as and when necessary with the Government, and the local trade and representative organisations – including the EU representative office.

Typically, Enterprise Ireland Executives also visit the market once a quarter to meet contacts in government and to meet private sector organizations to maintain awareness of Ireland as a source of world class products and services.  The current arrangements have proved to be effective and efficient for Enterprise Ireland clients as the level of client company interest in Taiwan does not warrant any higher level of in-market support at this time. 

Enterprise Ireland will continue to make regular market visits in Taiwan in support of client companies which are growing exports and creating and sustaining employment in Ireland.