Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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36. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the Irish embassies worldwide which have enterprise attachés stationed; and the number of such attachés stationed in each such specific embassy by city and country. [53667/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The establishment of a network of locally hired Commercial Attachés was one of the key components of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Economic Diplomacy Strategy launched in January 2016. The initiative was designed to bolster the capacity of our Mission network in selected locations to support economic promotion under the Department’s ‘Prosperity’ high level goal. Its focus was to improve our capacity to support market diversity. The selection of Missions for this pilot was based on a number of criteria, including the need for a variety of markets conditions, the strength of the submission by the relevant Mission in support of such an appointment, cost effectiveness, and the potential to support the economic state agencies in advancing our trade goals.

Under the initial phase of the pilot scheme attachés were appointed in Mexico City, Brasilia, Buenos Aires (also covering Chile), Bucharest (also covering Bulgaria), and Jakarta. Economic Development Officers are also in place in Abuja, Nairobi, and Hanoi. The post in Mexico City is currently vacant due to a change in personnel but is expected to be filled by a new officer in the New Year.

Working closely with the economic state agencies and with Trade Division within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the posts have facilitated trade promotion in such areas as market access, visibility, contact and information, market intelligence, and support to businesses. Under the direction of the diplomatic officers, they have enabled the Missions to advance their economic goals.

The Commercial Attachés and Economic Development Officers participated in the recent Team Ireland Conference at Croke Park. The Conference, jointly hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation involved representatives from the Departments and economic state agencies involved in economic promotion overseas.