Vol. 535 No. 3
86 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the results arising from promotional tours she has taken abroad in 2001 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12689/01]
Last March I led a trade mission of 64 companies to Japan. The companies were from the telecommunications, software, process control and instrumentation, engineering services and education sectors.
During the visit, contracts worth $26 million were signed and a further nine agency, distribution and partnership agreements were concluded.
Two visits which had been planned to the UK were cancelled because of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
It is not possible to quantify the results of trade missions in monetary terms. The value in having a trade mission led by a Minister lies in the profile and publicity which it helps to raise for the participants and in helping to raise issues of relevance at the political level. The value of ministerial trade missions is confirmed by the fact that companies continue to participate in them.
In addition to my own travel, the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Kitt, travelled to the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover in support of the 19 world-class Irish ICT companies which participated there. He also led a group of 19 companies to Russia to identify new opportunities there and to raise the profile of Ireland as a supplier of goods and services.
