Agreements on Transfer of Passenger Name Record Data: Motions Dail Éireann — 2026-01-28 ============================================================ Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South I thank Deputies Carthy and Gannon for their contributions. Deputy Carthy raised several issues in respect of Ireland's sovereignty. The fact these issues are being debated in this House, and subsequently will be debated and voted on in the Seanad, indicates Irish democracy is very much at the heart of the consideration of these proposals. There have been three parts to the PNR agreement between the European Union and the Swiss Confederation. First of all, there was a vote by both Houses of the Oireachtas back in 2024 in terms of determining whether we would enter into negotiations between the EU and the Swiss Confederation. Both Houses voted on that and both Houses agreed that we wanted to opt in to the negotiation. Today we are voting on whether we wish to approve the conclusion of that negotiation and then subsequently the signing of the agreement between the EU and the Swiss Confederation. There have been at least six debates in the Houses of the Oireachtas in respect of this ultimate agreement between the EU and the Swiss Confederation. As I mentioned earlier, the EU has entered into PNR agreements with other non-EU countries and, in respect of each or most of them, there has been similar democratic underpinning within Ireland's Houses of the Oireachtas so I think that is very clear evidence that the elected representatives of the Irish people have had a very significant say and vote in respect of each of these stages of these agreements. I listened to what Deputy Carthy had to say on the ceding of sovereignty. I disagree with Deputy Carthy on this. I think the strength of Ireland derives from the fact that we recognise that in order to have strength and influence in this world, one really needs to be part of a multilateral arrangement. That is why Ireland's membership of the EU makes us strong. I do not believe that by becoming a member of the EU, Ireland has in some way reduced its sovereignty. In fact, I think that our sovereignty is as strong as ever but we certainly have increased our influence. We have seen a very recent example on this island and the island beside us, where people decided that they wanted to leave the EU because they thought they would be able to exercise greater sovereignty and greater control over their own affairs. That did not happen. I am very confident that the proposal here has a democratic mandate and I believe the sovereignty of Ireland has been increased and strengthened by our continued support for the EU. Deputy Gannon mentioned issues in respect of PNR data agreements. Obviously, as he will be aware, there are specific rules in respect of the retention of PNR data. It is procured and collected in the first instance solely for the purpose of fighting terrorism and serious crime. He will also be aware that this data has to be processed and controlled in accordance with fundamental human rights. He may be aware that a case was brought to the Court of Justice of the European Union, CJEU, back in 2022 by the Human Rights League in Belgium challenging the PNR directive that had been brought in by the EU. The CJEU upheld the PNR directive. Issues concerning fundamental rights are at the heart of the PNR directive. It has gone to the CJEU and the court has recognised the validity of it because it is consistent in protecting the fundamental rights of individuals. When it comes to the agreements between the EU and other entities around the world, we have to be able to enter into agreements with countries such as Switzerland and Canada. If we cannot enter into agreements with countries as benign as those two countries, we are going to find ourselves in a very difficult position. I appreciate and welcome the fact that Deputies Gannon and Carthy are supporting this proposed conclusion and signing of the agreement with the Swiss Confederation. I would also look for them to express similar support when it comes to the agreement between the EU and Canada, which is really a fundamental agreement. We should be able to enter into an agreement with a country as benign as Canada when it comes to ensuring that trade operates effectively between the EU and Canada. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-28/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:34+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-01-28