Vol. 208 No. 2
asked the Minister for External Affairs if he is aware of the recent statement by the President of the Irish Exporters' Association to the effect that his Department does not effectively co-operate with Irish exporters; and if he will make a statement thereon.
10.
asked the Minister for External Affairs if, in the light of the statement by the President of the Irish Exporters' Association, he will explain why, with one exception, he did not draw the attention of the Association and its members to specific trade possibilities for exports as they arose.
11.
asked the Minister for External Affairs what remedial steps his Department will take to meet the complaints of the Irish Exporters' Association that Irish Embassy staffs abroad render no assistance or inadequate assistance to Irish exporters.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 10 and 11 together.
I have seen Press reports of the statement to which the Deputies refer. It was with great regret that I read these reports as the officers of my Department at home and abroad endeavour to maintain the closest co-operation and friendly relations with potential exporters, and statements of this kind are not helpful.
In the Department of External Affairs, we are keenly conscious of the vital importance of expanding Ireland's foreign earnings both in trade and in invisible items and we are doing everything within our resources to promote such earnings. In furtherance of this objective I called home, in July, 1961, the Heads of all our Missions abroad and I arranged a series of conferences for them. Apart from many conferences I had with them myself, I arranged that the Taoiseach should meet them collectively, that they should have conferences and exchanges of views with the Heads of the Economic Departments, State-sponsored bodies and other interested organisations. Included in this series was a session with a large group of representatives of the Irish Exporters' Association. In the course of the conference the then President of the Association said that his Organisation appreciated very much what our representatives abroad were doing on behalf of exporters.
Some of the exporters may feel, as one of them said at the meeting referred to, that the Department of External Affairs should have more expansive and more expensive representations abroad for the purpose of promoting exports. My Department, quite naturally, would not be averse to expanding its staff and having more money to spend on trade promotion. It would be for decision, however, whether additional State assistance for exporters should be used in substitution or extension of the various other forms of aid already being given to exporters, for example, by Córas Tráchtála, by the Industrial Development Authority, by the Industrial Credit Company and through relief on profits arising from increased exports.
As the Deputies are aware, the value of our exports for 1963 has increased by £65 million or 50 per cent as compared with 1957 and our earnings on tourism by £21 million or 63 per cent. The officers of my Department have done their share in this development and have worked hard and intelligently at all times for improved trading arrangements with other countries. Many exporters and tourist agencies have expressed their appreciation to me for the co-operation they obtained from our headquarter staff and our Missions abroad.
In regard to the complaint that the attention of the Irish Exporters' Association was not drawn to specific trade opportunities by our Missions abroad, I may say that the practice has always been to bring such opportunities to the notice of the appropriate Economic Department or Córas Tráchtála who in turn pursue the matter with the export interest concerned.
I wish to conclude by saying that apart from the speech referred to in the Deputies' questions, I have heard no complaint from exporters as to the failure of the officers of the Department of External Affairs to co-operate with individual concerns in the promotion of exports. This lack of complaint was not due to any lack of opportunity of making a complaint to me directly as I have never refused to see an exporter and I meet many of them frequently at their trade displays at home and abroad and on numerous other occasions. I need hardly add that if a specific complaint of lack of co-operation should be made to me at any time it will be thoroughly investigated and if a legitimate grievance should be discovered the necessary remedial action will be taken.
Will the Minister have copies of the address of the President of the Irish Exporters' Association sent to all Missions abroad so that the text of it may be examined by them?
I doubt if that would be a very useful exercise.
Is it not a fact that the Minister is too busy cavorting to pay much attention to exports?
The fact of the matter is that since the Coalition left office, exports have increased by 50 per cent and tourism by 63 per cent. If the Coalition had gone on for another seven years, we would have no exports and no tourism.
Has the Minister changed his mind about sending all the ships to the bottom of the sea?
You are not going to draw me on that. What I said stands on the historic record and I stand over it—it is not, of course, what the Deputy alleges I said.
