Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 November 2009
364 Deputy Brian Hayes asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress made since December 2008 in establishing a consultative mechanism with public and private sector representatives to advise on issues related to the economic work of embassies, as announced in the Building Ireland’s Smart Economy: A Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal report. [43149/09]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs outlined in the Action Points of Building Ireland’s Smart Economy A Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal a consultative mechanism has been established to provide for informal meetings with representatives of the public and private sector to advise on issues related to the economic work of Embassies.
To date, I have chaired three such meetings, each of which has focussed on a specific sector, market or region. The meetings have taken the form of informal breakfast meetings with, on average, 13 people in attendance. The first meeting was held in April and focussed on the emerging markets in Latin America. The second meeting, which took place in July, concentrated on Science, Technology, Innovation and International Education. The most recent meeting took place earlier this month and focussed on the Irish Crafts Sector and how my Department can best help to promote it internationally. Each meeting brought together representatives of State Agencies, private sector companies and relevant Government Departments. It is anticipated that the next meeting of the consultative mechanism will take place in early 2010.
