Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 May 2022
159. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide a list of all trade missions and engagements abroad which both he and his predecessor as Minister have undertaken from 1 January 2018 to date; the dates on which both he and his predecessors were abroad in that time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22702/22]
View answerAs Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I travel abroad both to lead trade and investment missions and to attend EU and political meetings which fall within my remit.
The primary focus of all trade and investment missions is to encourage business-to-business links, to maximise opportunities to help Irish companies to access new markets and to increase the levels of foreign direct investment into Ireland which in turn creates employment opportunities.
A list of all trade missions and engagements which both I, and my predecessor Minister Heather Humphreys, have undertaken abroad from 1 January 2018 to date is listed in tabular form below. Minister Humphreys did not travel abroad between 1st January and 27th June 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions on travel. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, trade missions took place virtually throughout 2020 and during Quarters 1 to 3 of 2021. Physical trade missions resumed in Quarter 4 of 2021.
|
Date |
Trade Missions / Engagements undertaken by former Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, |T.D. |
|
26th to 28th February 2018 |
Foreign Affairs (Trade) Council – Sofia |
|
10th to 18th March 2018 |
EI IDA Trade Mission - Boston / Austin / San Francisco |
|
18th Apr and 19th April 2018 |
EI Trade Mission - Manchester |
|
2nd to 8th May 2018 |
EI IDA Trade Mission - New York / Washington |
|
22nd May 2018 |
Trade Council - Brussels |
|
12th to 14th June 2018 |
London |
|
18th – 23rd June 2018 |
EI Trade Mission - Los Angeles |
|
26th to 27th September 2018 |
EI Eurozone Trade Mission - Glasgow and Edinburgh |
|
4th and 5th October 2018 |
Informal Trade Council - Austria |
|
31st October – 7th November 2018 |
EI and IDA Trade Mission - Hong Kong and China |
|
28th and 29th November 2018 |
Competitiveness Council – Brussels |
|
11th – 21st March 2019 |
Trade Mission - Australia and Singapore |
|
10th – 12th April 2019 |
EI Trade Mission - Birmingham |
|
8th – 18th June 2019 |
Trade Mission - New Zealand |
|
5th – 11th September 2019 |
Trade Mission - Nashville and New York |
|
1 October 2019 |
Meeting of EU Trade Ministers - Brussels |
|
12th – 20th October 2019 |
EI Trade and Investment Mission - Japan |
|
9th – 16th November 2019 |
Trade Mission - South Africa and Kenya |
|
27th – 28th November 2019 |
EI Trade Mission - Munich |
|
Date |
Trade Missions / Engagements undertaken by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, T.D. |
|
19th – 21st September 2020 |
EU Trade Council - Berlin |
|
19th – 21st May 2021 |
EU Trade Council - Brussels |
|
5th – 6th September 2021 (London) 7th September 2021 (Paris) 8th September 2021 (Berlin) |
EI Trade Mission – London, Paris, Berlin |
|
27th – 28th September 2021 |
Trade and Political Meetings - Washington |
|
10th – 11th November 2021 |
EU Trade Council |
|
12th – 17th November 2021 |
Trade Mission - Middle East |
|
18th - 19th November 2021 |
British Irish Council - Cardiff |
|
13th and 14th February 2022 |
EU Trade Council - Marseilles |
|
15th to 17th February 2022 |
Trade Mission - Marseilles / Avignon / Paris |
|
8th to 18th March 2022 |
2022 St Patrick’s Day Programme - Chile and Colombia |
|
24th to 29th April 2022 |
EI / IDA Trade Mission - US West Coast |
