Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 November 2014
22. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the next Global Irish Economic Forum will be convened; the number of actions that were agreed out of the past two meetings; the number that have been implemented since then; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44972/14]
View answerThe Government decided in March of this year that there should be a fourth Global Irish Economic Forum. However, no date for this has been decided as yet. The Global Irish Network and the Global Irish Economic Forum have given greater strategic direction to the Government's engagement with our most senior Irish contacts around the world. Over the past five years, the Network has proved particularly effective as a source of structured advice from key players in priority markets and within multinational companies. This advice, whether given at the Forum or elsewhere has fed directly into the formation of Government policy and action plans. Members of the Network also facilitate high level access for the Government and Irish companies to decision makers in major corporations. To date there have been three Forums, 2009, 2011 and 2013.
In 2011, the focus of the Forum was on recovery, reform and restoring our international reputation. From the 65 recommendations that came from the Forum working groups, 24 key outcomes were defined which delivered, and continue to deliver, tangible economic benefits in relation to job creation, FDI, support for our SME sector and our image abroad.
Examples of outcomes of the 2011 Forum include:
- An “Invest in Ireland” roundtable with President Clinton in New York;
- The establishment of the Global Irish Contacts Programme where to date, over 100 members have signed up to support exporters providing expertise in 32 markets across 14 sectors;
- A World Actors Forum held in May 2013;
- The extension of the Irish Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme and the introduction of an Immigrant Investor Programme and the Start up Entrepreneur Programme.
In addition, the 2011 Forum saw the launch of the Gathering which brought an extra 250-275,000 visitors to Ireland during 2013 to attend 5,000 Gatherings across the country.
Connect Ireland, who implement the Government's Succeed in Ireland initiative, was also formally launched at the 2011 Forum and they now have approximately 1,000 new jobs committed.
The most recent Forum in 2013 took place in a different context than its predecessors. It took place as the country was coming out of recession, our reputation internationally was much improved and the Troika was preparing to leave.
18 working groups brought forward 64 specific recommendations. Each of these recommendations has been considered in detail by Government Departments. Some of these have been implemented in full; some are being advanced by Government while other initiatives are being brought forward by members of the Global Irish Network. Where appropriate, recommendations are reflected in the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs.
Among the ideas being advanced are:
- Year of Irish Design (ID2015) to take place in 2015, showcasing the best of Irish design both at home and internationally.
- The launch of an agency to market Irish agri-business expertise globally
- Inviting Global Irish Network members to bring conferences to Ireland
- Considering whether Ireland can have a competitive advantage in the area of Smart Ageing
The 2013 Forum also saw regional components and a mentoring event for Irish SME's held in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland.
My Department is currently compiling a one-year-on update on these recommendations which will itemise progress under each recommendation and this will be published in the coming weeks.
All of the reports from each of the Forums are available on www.globalirishforum.ie
