Written Answers. - Exports Promotion Programme.
Pat Rabbitte
Ceist:
13
Mr. Rabbitte
asked the
Minister for Tourism and Trade
his assessment of the prospects for growth in Irish exports during 1994; the main features of the recent Bord Tráchtála export promotion programme launched by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Michael Finucane
Ceist:
60
Mr. Finucane
asked the
Minister for Tourism and Trade
the proposals, if any, he has to improve the market penetration of Irish goods within the EC, the US, Japan and other markets; his views on whether improved performance in these and other markets will result in increased employment opportunities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 60 together.
Last August, to help Irish exporters improve penetration of world markets, I launched an intensified promotion effort, which included a refinement and simplification of An Bord Tráchtála's grant schemes and increased promotional activity by ABT. A combination of raising financial ceilings and lowering thresholds is intended to make grant schemes more relevant to the needs of as many firms as possible, while ABT is now placing a special emphasis on stimulating more sales leads and organising more visits here by overseas buyers.
Indications are that the changes have already begun to have an impact on our exports, indigenous and non-indigenous, despite the continuation of quite depressed conditions in many of our principal markets. Recent ABT figures estimate, for 1993, an 8.25 per cent growth for overall exports to 18 billion pounds and an 8 per cent growth for indigenous exports to 3.9 billion pounds.
The target for coming years is to achieve an increase of 9 per cent in exports each year for the duration of the National Plan. The achievement of this target will be aided by the economic recovery now underway in many of our main markets, particularly the US and the UK, and by the successful completion of the Uruguay Round.
In relation to Japan, where the market was sluggish, Ireland was one of the few EU countries to actually increase its exports in the first half of 1993. This continues the progress made in 1992 when they totalled 480 million pounds, an increase of 40 per cent on the 1991 figure.
On the question of the link between output and export growth and employment, this issue has been the subject of a great deal of examination, particularly the NESC report of December, 1992 and, while the phenomenon of "jobless growth" has caused much debate, no one denies that national economic advancement of any sort depends on export growth.
The message, therefore, to those of us responsible for formulating national trade policy is clear enough: to continue to work towards creating the right international environment and to encourage and assist Irish industry to retain and expand its share of international markets. With our very high dependence on exports, this must be the route to maintaining and creating jobs which are really sustainable and based on market share won in competitive conditions.
