asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy when the consideration of a new export credit finance corporation will be completed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Export Credit Finance Corporation.
13.
This matter has been considered in the light of a recently completed study on export credit finance commissioned by Córas Tráchtála and the Industrial Credit Company Ltd., which established that existing sources of export finance are adequate to meet the current needs of Irish exporters.
While an immediate need for the establishment of an export credit finance corporation would not appear to exist, the matter is one which I propose to have kept under review, particularly in view of possible changes in the environment in which our exporters must compete.
When was the study to which the Minister refers commissioned?
I have not got the exact date, but I could give the terms of reference and so on.
Would I be safe in assuming it ante-dates the election?
The Deputy would.
Would the Minister tell us whether anything whatever has been done in the terms foreshadowed on page 13 of his party's manifesto under the rubric of the "vigorous new export marketing drive" which they were going to "encourage"? Has anything new happened in the field of export credit finance?
We did have a look at the report prepared and if the Deputy had continued in his reference to the manifesto he would find it said a new export credit finance corporation will be considered and legal obstacles in regard to other matters will be considered also. Will be considered: it was considered in the light of a report prepared by a firm of chartered accountants under specific terms of reference and the result of that report was what I have just read out to the Deputy, and the Government at the moment are satisfied with the situation, but it is being kept under review.
What it all boils down to is that the impact of the Government in this sphere is nil. Anything done in regard to the commissioning of a study was done by the Minister's predecessor.
Order. That does not arise on this question. The Deputy insists on getting up to make statements.
I was putting a question to the Minister.
The statement was an interrogative.
Deputy Kelly is just impossible.
In the latter part of his reply the Minister said something about the new environment in which our exports would have to compete. Would the Minister elaborate on what he means by that?
I am talking about certain signs of something which none of us is in favour of, namely, protectionism. We are all aware that it is raising its head around the world. There are other problems as well. There are difficulties being placed in the path of our exporters who are inclined to export into countries into which they did not export before. We will just have to keep the whole question of export finance under review.
Is the Minister in fact, saying that recently there have been more difficulties placed in the path of our exporters?
It varies a great deal from country to country. It would be impossible to be specific. I could be specific on a number of them. A number of countries, as the Deputy knows, are more liberal in their imports from year to year. Some countries put up trade barriers and some change regulations to make it very difficult for us to export into them. It is a question of constant movement within regulations from country to country.
When the Minister talks about fluctuating regulations from year to year, is he referring to the countries inside or outside the Common Market?
Outside the Common Market.
So no difficulties are foreseen by the Government in relation to countries inside the Common Market from the point of view of exports?
I would not see any. If the Deputy puts down a specific question I will get a specific answer for him. Just now I am talking off the top of my head.
In line with the Minister's colleagues.