Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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102. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to publish the terms of reference, membership, selection criteria, and code of conduct for the Ireland-India Economic Advisory Panel; the way in which conflicts of interest are handled for members whose companies hold State contracts; and whether minutes and advice will be published. [48752/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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103. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to confirm the scope of the role of a person (details supplied); and what recusal rules apply. [48753/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 103 together.

In line with the Government’s Action Plan on Enhancing Engagement with India approved last March, I have established the Ireland-India Economic Advisory Panel (IIEAP) in order to, inter alia, receive strategic advice on how Ireland can enhance its visibility, trade profile and diplomatic footprint in India. The inaugural session of the IIEAP took place in Dublin on 4-5 September.

This initiative is also directly aligned with the recently published Action Plan on Market Diversification. India, with a population of 1.4 billion and on course to be the third largest economy globally by the end of this decade, clearly represents a priority market which potentially offers major opportunities for our business, research and education sectors.

In line with similar initiatives which the Government has taken, the IIEAP has been designed to be a flexible structure to ensure that the Government, State Agencies and business stakeholders can draw on the analysis and expertise of senior Indian-based business leaders. There is no fixed, permanent membership of the Panel and formal terms of reference are not envisioned.

At present, five distinguished Indian business leaders have agreed to serve on the Panel, namely: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw; Noel Tata; Mohit Joshi; Murtaza Khorakiwala; and Rajeev Mecheri. The Embassy of Ireland in New Delhi were familiar with the current Panel members through business and professional connections, for example, Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw and Mr. Mecheri currently serve as Ireland’s Honorary Consuls in Bangalore and Chennai respectively. All Panel members have a positive disposition towards Ireland and have been selected to ensure a diverse spectrum of expert business and cultural advice is provided to support our strategic interests in India. The makeup of the Panel may evolve over time to ensure relevant, expert advice is available to stakeholders in Ireland.

All members of the IIEAP, current and future, serve purely on a temporary, personal basis and in an independent and advisory capacity and without any form of remuneration. Their role is purely advisory.