By Business & Finance The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, is today commencing the first ever joint Irish, UK and Northern Ireland trade mission, with the first of two days of joint events in Singapore.
The programme of events around the Singapore Airshow forms part of a programme of cooperation to strengthen relations over the next decade led by UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
The joint mission is being led by Minister Bruton along with UK Transport Minister Stephen Hammond, Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster with support from UK Trade & Investment, Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland.
The Singapore Airshow is Asia’s largest airshow, and one of the most important in the world, given that the Asia Pacific region is the world’s biggest air travel market. For both the UK and Ireland the aerospace sector is a key part of their long term economic plan.
This is the 19th major trade and investment mission that Minister Bruton has led since taking office almost three years ago. The number of Enterprise Ireland trade missions has doubled since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs.
Minister Bruton’s four-day programme of more than 30 meetings and events in Singapore and Malaysia, which is aimed at supporting Irish companies increase their sales in South East Asia, includes:
- Several joint events with the UK and Northern Ireland Ministers, including visiting the Singapore Airshow where Enterprise Ireland and UKTI will have a joint stand;
- A total of more than 10 events aimed at partnering Irish companies with potential buyers of their products and services;
- Meetings with three Government Ministers in Singapore and Malaysia as well as a Central Bank Governor; and
- Meetings organised by IDA aimed at attracting investment to Ireland.
Minister Bruton said: “At the heart of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs is our determination to provide better supports for exporting companies so that they can sell more of their products and services abroad and help create the jobs we badly need. As part of that drive we have put in place a range of new supports, including doubling the number of trade missions over the past two years. This trade mission to Singapore and Malaysia is part of that drive, and will offer real opportunities for our highly innovative companies in sectors including financial services, construction, ICT and education.”
He added: “This trade mission has a wider significance of course, and is an important part of a wider programme of cooperation between Ireland and the UK. This first joint mission has attracted an impressive list of companies from Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK that will demonstrate our considerable combined strengths in the aerospace sector at Asia’s largest air show and lead to enhanced opportunities for our companies in this important sector and ultimately more jobs in Ireland.”
