Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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159. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide a list of all trade missions and engagements abroad which both he and his predecessor as Minister have undertaken from 1 January 2018 to date; the dates on which both he and his predecessors were abroad in that time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22702/22]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I travel abroad both to lead trade and investment missions and to attend EU and political meetings which fall within my remit.

The primary focus of all trade and investment missions is to encourage business-to-business links, to maximise opportunities to help Irish companies to access new markets and to increase the levels of foreign direct investment into Ireland which in turn creates employment opportunities.

A list of all trade missions and engagements which both I, and my predecessor Minister Heather Humphreys, have undertaken abroad from 1 January 2018 to date is listed in tabular form below.  Minister Humphreys did not travel abroad between 1st January and 27th June 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions on travel. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, trade missions took place virtually throughout 2020 and during Quarters 1 to 3 of 2021. Physical trade missions resumed in Quarter 4 of 2021.