Vol. 463 No. 8
146 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the plans, if any, he has to build on Ireland's environmentally friendly and green image in the promotion of Irish trade and exports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7541/96]
Research has shown that the role of the environment in consumer buying decisions is growing in importance and is already very significant in more sophisticated and wealthy markets. For example, in Germany, only quality and price are rated more highly; in the UK, it is rated ahead of UK origin as a factor. In the key German market, Ireland's largest in continental Europe, Ireland rates second after Germany itself as the "greenest" country in buyers' eyes. In our largest market, the UK, we are in fourth position
The main beneficiaries of Ireland's "Green" image are food and drink products, the promotion of which is now dealt with by An Bord Bia, operating under the aegis of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Irish companies have also been developing particular expertise in areas such as water and waste treatment, recycling and laboratory testing, leaving Ireland well poised to benefit, for example, from the large amount of EU funding that is available to implement EU environmental regulations. In Ireland alone, £655 million will be channelled into environmental services under the present Community Support Framework.
An Bord Tráchtála is involved in many activities to identify markets and promote Irish exports in the area of environmental technology and has established an environmental unit to help identify opportunities for Irish companies. This month, ABT has launched CONNECT, a new computer database with information on more than 500 companies who provide environmental products and services from the Republic and Northern Ireland. This database will provide potential customers with a comprehensive register of Irish supply capability.
