People can cross departmental lines. People move from other Departments into the Department of Foreign Affairs. For example, our ambassador in China would have been a Department of agriculture vet originally, which was very useful in the recent issues in China relating to veterinary matters, Irish beef and so on. Her experience was clearly on hand and very valuable. This is my second stint in the Department of Foreign Affairs. In all our lives, we build up experience on the job. Many young people, for example, work…

I repeat that there are many pathways into the Department of Foreign Affairs and into ambassadorial positions. For example, people who would have worked in the area of development aid initially have moved into the Department and brought that experience to bear as ambassadors in Africa, the Middle East and so forth. We have very good examples of that also within the Department. I have been struck by the fact that those applying to join the Department come from all backgrounds - engineering, education, you name it. W…

At the Foreign Affairs Council on 24 June, I met with my counterparts from the western Balkans to discuss shared challenges for Europe in foreign and security policy. The EU and the western Balkans have built up a positive track record of co-operation in foreign and security policy. We discussed the region’s high rate of Common Foreign and Security Policy, CFSP, alignment, and the important contribution that armed forces from the western Balkans are making to EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions. Western …

I thank the Deputy for his remarks. He asked earlier about the enlargement agenda. This week the EU will confirm that Montenegro has made all of its interim benchmarks on rule of law reforms. This is a significant achievement and clears the way for Montenegro to close additional negotiating chapters confirming its position as accession front-runner. I hope this acts as an inspiration to Montenegro's neighbours that reform efforts will be rewarded by the EU. We are also hopeful that the new Government of North Maced…

I am a passionate believer in enlargement, notwithstanding all the challenges that come with it and that Deputy Lawless outlined in terms of rule of law and alignment. As regards the constant challenges, it is clear that the populations of many of these countries want to be in the EU and want the norms we have in democracy and economic development and the Single Market benefits that brings. There is no doubt that the war in Ukraine has been a major catalyst for this new phase of enlargement. I would argue that the …

I thank the Deputy for his persistence and for his advocacy for the families of the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. On 17 May this year, we marked the 50th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, a brutal and devastating act of violence in which 34 people lost their lives and 300 people were injured. Alongside the Taoiseach and President Higgins, I attended the very moving and powerful memorial event in Dublin on 17 May, organised by Justice for the Forgotten, where I spoke to some of the surv…

In the context of whatever happens after the British general election and a new government being formed, we stand ready to engage with a new government to press these issues and to get resolution to them. We have consistently raised the provision of original documents with my British counterpart since taking office. I recognise that governments have a responsibility to protect national security, but the passage of time since events took place also matters. That is the point I have made, and it is made in the report…

I will absolutely do that. I agree with the Deputy that this has taken far too long. We recently had the Seán Brown case, for example, which I have raised with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. I hope that with the new British government we will be able to revisit the legacy Act because the Operation Kenova report points in the right direction. It is a hugely significant report. It underlines the need for a comprehensive, collective and victim-centred approach to legacy issues and places a strong emphasi…

There is absolutely no evidence that any airport in Ireland or any Irish sovereign airspace is being used to transport weapons to the conflict in the Middle East. All foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly or land in the State are required, without exception, to obtain diplomatic clearance. This has been the case for many years. Such permission is granted only where all relevant conditions are met, including that the aircraft is unarmed, carries no arms, ammunition or explosives, does not engage in intelligen…

I am very clear that there is no weaponry going via Ireland to Israel and certainly, as I have said, not through any airport. There is absolutely no evidence at all to suggest any airport in Ireland or Irish sovereign airspace is being used to transport weapons to the conflict in the Middle East. There is a distinction drawn between civil aircraft and military aircraft. Civil aircraft come under the Department of Transport. Diplomatic clearance comes under the Department of Foreign Affairs. That is the long-standin…

I take the Deputy's point. We condemn the bombardment of Gaza. What is happening in Gaza is absolutely shocking. It needs to stop and it must stop immediately. There has been a long-standing relationship between the United States and Israel, going back to the foundation of the latter state, and likewise between many European Union states and Israel. We are a militarily neutral country. We apply conditions to aircraft overflying or landing in the State. Aeroplanes will overfly Irish airspace, including thousands of …

I thank the Deputy for his continuing interest, commitment and advocacy on this issue. Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan remain an issue of concern for Ireland and the European Union. I regularly discuss the situation in Armenia and the region with my European Union colleagues, most recently at the March meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. The European Union has been playing an active role in mediation efforts aimed at securing an overarching peace agreement and the normalisation of relations between Arme…

I accept the basic point the Deputy is making on enhancing that presence and strengthening it with a view to facilitating greater movement in terms of the rights of Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh area. This has been a long-standing conflict, causing a lot of death. There are refugees on both sides, with the displacement of some 800,000 people since the beginning of the conflict. It is quite shocking and in our view unnecessary. Dialogue and diplomacy should have resolved this. The European mission could be expan…

Ní aontaím in aon chor leis an Teachta. Níl an méid a dúirt sé cruinn nó macánta. Tá sé mímhacánta. Is léir go bhfuil easpa polasaithe ag páirtí Sinn Féin i gcomhthéacs cúrsaí tithíochta. Bhí Sinn Féin i gcoinne an-chuid scéimeanna ar Bhóthar Oscair Mhic Thréinir-----

-----le fada de bhlianta. Sinn Féin was against the building of houses on Oscar Traynor Road for well over a decade.

The bottom line is that in the Deputy's contribution - it is interesting - he omitted to say that the scheme approved by Dublin City Council contained 20% affordable homes, 40% social homes and 40% cost-rental homes. Of the 853 homes, 20% are affordable, 40% are social and 40% are cost rental. Why did the Deputy not mention the 40% social? Why did he not mention the 40% cost rental? Let us take the advertised prices and the Deputy's figure of €400,000. The advertised prices are €264,000 for a one-bedroom property, …

They can then get €30,000 in terms of the help to buy scheme-----

-----so they are looking at a much-reduced price in respect of what is being presented by the Deputy. They are the first houses to come on stream on that particular scheme. There is 40% social and 40% cost rental. The cost-rental homes are 25% below market value. That site was left vacant for decades. It was a scandal that site was left vacant, in my view-----

-----because of ideologically driven policies by Sinn Féin and others, objecting serially all of the time. My point is that Sinn Féin's equity scheme, for example, is interesting. Home ownership matters and we believe in home ownership. We did not believe the site should be 100% social homes, which Sinn Féin did.

We do not believe in 100% social schemes.