I agree with Deputy Moynihan. Haulbowline is complete and I visited it recently. It has very fine accommodation and there will be further developments there also. For the information of the Deputies, at present there are approximately 4,509 military accommodation bed spaces for Defence Forces personnel throughout the country. This is a significant number. It is used predominantly for training purposes but not always. Recently I instructed that some housing stock at the Curragh Camp originally marked down for demoli…

The military authorities have advised that, as of 31 August 2023, 6,844 initial applications had been made to join the Permanent Defence Force across all competitions, of which 858 were from female applicants. Of these applications, 6,081 were deemed eligible applications. A total of 244 personnel have been inducted as of the same date, of whom 18 are female. In addition to ineligible applications, a large number of candidates fail to attend or are unsuccessful at various stages of the selection process. For exampl…

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains a matter of the gravest concern, particularly in light of the fallout from the military action initiated by Azerbaijan in the region on 19 September. Ensuring the welfare and protection of civilians who remain there, as well as of those who have fled to Armenia, including through the facilitation of humanitarian access where there are needs, remains at the core of Ireland's response. We continue to co-ordinate closel…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Our priority is and will remain the safety of the local population and the humanitarian situation on the ground. Our focus right now is on doing that as best we can. We call for full compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law. The issues the Deputy raised in terms of the protection of civilians are still open to countries to take action on in respect of international accords and various accountability measures. On 23 October, there will be a further mee…

I thank the Deputy for raising the question. The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act received royal assent on 18 September. Amendments made in the course of its passage through the UK Parliament did not fundamentally alter the substance of the legislation. It is worth recalling that the new legacy Act represents a unilateral move by the UK Government away from the 2014 Stormont House Agreement, to which both the UK and the Irish Government recommitted in 2020. Such a unilateral approach is out…

I thank the Deputy. He is correct in saying there is unity of purpose in this House in respect of this Act. I would like to think I will have that advice within the next ten days. Any actions we take have to be based on very solid grounds. This has to be done robustly, rigorously and with due diligence. I do not believe in doing things on political instincts alone. It has always been our view that there are fundamental issues here as regards compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights; that is the bar. …

As I said in my original reply, I have been guided by a victim-centred approach from the very beginning of this. I have met with many victims' groups regarding this legislation. We have also raised the issue effectively in multilateral forums such as the United Nations and the Council of Europe, both politically and at an official level, since the publication of the Bill in May 2022. Most recently, we did this on 13 September at the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council and very recently on 21 September at th…

My visit to Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory and Jordan was an important step in Ireland’s long-standing support for international efforts to achieve peace in the region. My insights from engaging with the situation on the ground will shape Ireland’s constructive role in promoting a sustainable political horizon. During the visit, I highlighted my deep concern with the continued expansion of Israeli settlements, demolitions and evictions in the West Bank to the Israeli Government, including in meetings wi…

What was interesting during the visit was that these were not cosy chats with our Israeli interlocutors, I can assure the Deputy, because the Israeli Government perception of Ireland is that we are one of the most - how do I put it - hostile states with regard to the Israeli position, if they even use that language, and that this State takes a position which is negative. That is how the Israeli state sees us. Across the European Union it would have identified Ireland as a country that takes a view which is contrary…

Again, I say to the Deputy that the Israeli Government is in no doubt about Ireland's position on this. It does not like it and does not waste time in articulating the fact that it does not like our position. This is not just about sending messages and sloganeering. The Israeli Government is well aware of our position. Behind it all, it accepts our genuine interest in a resolution of the conflict and there has to be engagement at all levels. It is important we retain and maintain engagement with the Israeli Governm…

I thank the Deputy for his question. Policies and actions that negatively impact upon the rights of the Palestinian people were a central focus of all my exchanges throughout my visit to Israel and to the occupied Palestinian territory. In Israel, I had a full and frank discussion with President Netanyahu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen, and the Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer. I underlined our long-standing position that Israel cease illegal settlement construction and expansion, as well as o…

I appreciate where the Deputy is coming from. We are aware that the issue of apartheid has been raised in a number of reports, of which we have taken very careful note, from United Nations rapporteurs and civil society organisations. We support civil society organisations through vital funding despite the fact that some of them are designated as terrorist organisations by the Israeli Government, which is wrong in our view. We have funded civil society organisations in Israel and in the occupied territories. This is…

Language is fairly straightforward.

I take Deputy Gannon's earlier point that apartheid is more than language. Using phrases such as "call it for what it is" is fairly straightforward to do. We could remove ourselves from the entire engagement and just call it what we think it is. Would it advance the situation? That is the call. We have continually remained engaged and that engagement is important. With regard to the work that UNRWA does in Gaza, the occupied territories and refugee camps in Jordan and elsewhere, Ireland stands strongly to support t…

In my engagements with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and the Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, I underlined that Ireland’s approach is grounded in respect for international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law, and that the fundamentals of our position are based on internationally agreed parameters and successive UN resolutions. I raised all of the issues referenced in the Deputy’s question in my political meetings in Israel and emphasised t…

That is an unfair and incorrect assessment of it. Ireland has called it out. As Minister I have called out the actions in terms of expansions of settlements. We have repeatedly called it out at all international forums. We have submitted a very comprehensive statement to the International Court of Justice regarding the advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem. It is quite a substantive and robust submi…

My understanding is that the Government is ably represented at the IAEA by the Minister, Deputy Ryan. I am sure he will take the appropriate positions on all the various issues that will be on the agenda.

We work very closely with Jordan, however, and we share a very common position. I believe the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Safadi, is very exercised by the entire situation. He has worked very hard and diligently, particularly at the Aqaba summit and Sharm el-Sheikh summit, to try to de-escalate the situation of recent times and the escalation of secular violence and so on. Israel has not followed through on the commitments it signed off on at Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh. We work closely with Jordan in respect of…

As I have stated on several occasions in this House, the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 would not be compatible with European Union law and would not be implementable. This is the clear legal advice on this matter. The Government will, therefore, not be taking it forward. Ireland’s resolute opposition to illegal Israeli settlements is firmly grounded in international law. To adopt a unilateral approach that runs contrary to legal advice would undermine Ireland’s clear and principled s…

We have taken action in terms of the differentiation between Israel and illegal settlements in terms of the importation of goods. That is law, and we work to enforce that. On the divestment Bill, as the Deputy knows, there was a timed amendment in relation to that. The Minister for Finance, Deputy McGrath, is dealing with that because it seeks to amend the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, Acts, as the Deputy knows. It is a complex issue to resolve but we are going to do it. Therefore, we wanted to allow a…