Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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398. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an assessment of the state of the pharma, technology and med-tech sectors in the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47590/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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As a small open economy, the competitiveness of Irish exports in international markets has been a key pillar of our economic success. The pharmaceutical, technology and medtech sectors – both Irish owned and part of our FDI base – are world-class in scale and export performance and are deeply embedded in global value chains.

I refer the Deputy to my response to Parliamentary Question 43436/25 of 29 July 2025 which provides a detailed assessment of the pharma, technology and med-tech sectors of the economy. This assessment using the Annual Business Survey of Economic Impact (ABSEI) survey highlighted that Ireland is regarded as a global player in these sectors, with high levels of employment and high levels of exports annually. Ireland’s investment in these sectors aligns with the EU’s identification of these as strategic sectors.

Ireland’s sustained investment in these strategic sectors is closely aligned with the EU’s designation of pharmaceuticals, digital technologies, and med-tech as key pillars for Europe’s future competitiveness and resilience. This alignment reinforces Ireland’s role in contributing to the EU’s broader strategic objectives.

These sectors, however, are not immune to external pressures and in particular the risks posed by international tariffs. In this context, I welcome the political agreement reached between the EU and the United States on reciprocal trade. This agreement provides much needed certainty for Irish, European and American businesses.

This Government is also taking a number of proactive steps to further support and strengthen these strategic sectors. This includes continued investment in R, D & I capacity, ongoing support for our highly educated workforce with strong STEM credentials, and robust Government policies and strategies that are aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of our enterprise base. These strategies include the recently published Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity; the National Semiconductor Strategy and the development of a National Life Sciences Strategy as committed to in the Programme for Government.