Irish Prisoners Abroad
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-21
============================================================

Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

I thank the Deputy. I am obviously aware of the case he has mentioned. It is important to stress that my Department, and in particular my team, have been providing consular assistance to Daniel since September 2025. We have a dedicated consular office in the consulate general in Munich which has been assigned to provide consular assistance to support Daniel but also his family, because I appreciate this is a difficult time for them. Staff in the consulate, including the consul general but also the deputy consul general, have undertaken four consular visits, the most recent on 10 April, and another visit is to be carried out next month.
It is important to stress that the very clear readout I have received on this states Daniel did not raise any complaints about his treatment. He reported that he has been treated relatively well, both physically and mentally, and that he is able to avail of the facilities and activities in the prison. His visiting conditions have been relaxed. He is able to have video calls and in-person visits with family members, and I understand that other visits may be possible as well.
It is also important to stress that in the prison Daniel is in, he is the same as any other person. It is a normal or regular pre-trial detention facility. The reports I have directly from our ambassador, who is dealing directly with him and engaging with him and will have a further visit later this month, are that he is being treated well and has access to the facilities he needs. Again, it is the same for any other person in his situation.
I assure the Deputy, because I appreciate this is very difficult for Daniel and his family, that my Department will continue to provide all appropriate consular assistance. We have to do this in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963, which specifies the functions of our consular officials. It is obviously subject to limits permitted by international law, so we cannot interfere in the domestic affairs of the receiving state. While consular officials have a role in assisting citizens, including by helping them to find lawyers and visiting them in detention, consular officials cannot give legal advice or intervene in the judicial process or internal affairs in the receiving state. Throughout the trial, when it happens, we will of course continue to engage directly with Daniel and his family and make sure the assistance continues.

---

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/2026-05-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-21