The promises President Trump made from the Rose Garden last night were essentially protectionism with thorny tariffs, presenting challenges and uncertainty for many sectors, including businesses, farmers and livelihoods in County Offaly. It is essential we maintain a sense of calm with a measured response, proactively working with our EU counterparts through trade, diversification and deepening relationships with other global partners. Thankfully, we come from a position of strength due the prudent management of our public finances. Every challenge presents opportunity. Our respective State agencies must renew their focus on introducing our high levels of quality, innovation and diversification to new markets. Will the Tánaiste outline the significance and plan of new free trade agreements, considering the tariffs imposed by the United States on the European Union? Can he provide a timeline for the ratification process of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, between the EU and Canada?

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He is right. We are in a phase now when it comes to trade policy and our economy where we have got to keep influencing what we can influence, including the United States and the EU but we also have to control what we can control. As to what we can control, we can help companies diversify and help open up new markets throughout the world to Irish companies. This country is proudly a free trade country. We have always been a nation of traders and there are big opportunities in Singapore, Vietnam, Canada and, potentially, India. I had a good meeting with the Indian foreign minister in Dublin a couple of weeks ago.

The Deputy is right to reference CETA, which we endeavoured to progress in the previous Oireachtas. We know the difficulties we got into on that occasion. I have been working with the Attorney General and with my officials to find a way forward and I am pleased to tell the House that I intend to bring a memo to Government in the coming weeks - hopefully this month - that will set out a legislative path that will allow this country to ratify CETA by the end of this year.