Written answers
Tuesday, 7 November 2023
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Official Engagements
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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393. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagements his Department, or any agency or body under his direction, has had with the Government of Israel, any state body of the Government of Israel, or any engagement within or with Israel, in 2021 and 2022 and to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47804/23]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department had six engagements with the Israeli government or related bodies during the time in question.
In February 2021 a meeting was held between then Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Ambassador of Israel to Ireland to discuss Israeli strategy and performance in relation to Covid-19 management and vaccination.
In February 2022, officials from my Department met with the Israel Innovation Authority as part of their work on the establishment of an evidence base to support the development of an Irish National Clustering Policy and Framework.
In August 2022 the Assistant Secretary from my Department’s Trade Division met with Israel’s trade attaché.
In November 2022, the then Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment held a courtesy meeting with the Ambassador of Israel to Ireland.
In December 2022, the Irish delegation to the OECD Ministerial meeting of the Committee on Digital Economy Policy in Spain held several bilaterals with other OECD Members on the margins of the main meeting, which included a bilateral meeting with Israel. The discussion involved officials from my Department and officials from the Israeli National Digital Agency and focussed on the challenges of digitalisation of enterprise.
In early July of this year officials from my Department participated in a video call with the Israeli Ministry of Labour in relation to a study being conducted by that Ministry on the impacts to the workforce of the transition to a low carbon economy and climate change.
In addition, officials of the Department have periodic engagements and contacts with counterparts from Israel in international bodies and groups of which both countries are members, including the OECD and the Small Advanced Economies Initiative.
In respect of the agencies under the remit of my Department, they are statutorily independent in their functions, and this is an operational matter for them. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the agencies for direct reply.
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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394. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagements his Department, or any agency or body under his direction, has had with the Palestinian Authority, any organ of the Palestinian Authority, or any engagement within, or with organisations in, the occupied Palestinian territory, in the years 2021 and 2022 and to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47822/23]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Officials from my Department had one engagement with the Palestinian Authority or related bodies during the time in question.
An official from my Department attended an online meeting with the Palestinian Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Empowerment in February 2023. This meeting was arranged and chaired by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
In respect of the agencies under the remit of my Department, they are statutorily independent in their functions, and this is an operational matter for them. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the agencies for direct reply.
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