We can go through it in some detail on Committee Stage. I will explain it then.

Yes.

There is a difference between the numbers who have re-enlisted and the numbers who have applied to re-enlist. Hundreds of people have applied.

I will give the Deputy the details.

I move: That Dail Eireann approves the terms of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, done at New York on 7th July, 2017, a copy of which was laid before Dail Eireann on 15th July, 2020.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 24 together. As the Deputies will know, I have given a very high priority to the Middle East peace process since my appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2017 and I will continue to do so as Minister with responsibility for foreign affairs and as Minister for Defence. I have personally been very engaged in efforts to keep the issue high on the international agenda and have made four working visits to Israel and Palestine, most recently in December 2019. The…

I thank both Deputies for their questions and for their clear interest in this issue. It is important to say that I have been consistently vocal with regard to settlements in occupied territory and their expansion in recent years. This is something of which Ireland and the EU have been consistently critical. I have been quite public in that regard through my statements at the level of the UN and the EU and in a number of bilateral meetings with the Israeli Prime Minister and other Israeli representatives. It is imp…

-----and its economic impact as well as health impact. That is my understanding of the priority and focus of the new Israeli Government right now. We will continue to do everything we can to discourage any moves to annex land that is not Israeli land.

I do not accept the point that the Israeli Government does not care. It does listen to what the international community says. Sometimes it takes action in a way that is contrary to the views of many countries, including in the EU. Recent years have been very damaging to a peace process that is very fragile right now in the context of the Middle East peace process. I understand why Irish people have been frustrated by moves that have damaged the prospect of a two-state solution. Expanding settlements is part of that…

I question that we have had a disappointing start. We just got elected to the UN Security Council, against the odds, which was a significant achievement for Irish diplomacy. It reminds us that a small country such as Ireland matters and when we put our mind to it, we can persuade a significant majority of countries within the UN that Ireland is a country worth trusting on the UN Security Council. That is what has been achieved. What has to happen next is that we have to use that privilege and ensure that while on t…

I can understand the frustration the Deputy has outlined. My position on the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 has been made very clear to this House on many occasions. We cannot do something we are not legally allowed to do and that is the clear advice I have on that Bill. That being said, this week alone I have spoken to the new Israeli foreign minister, this morning to the Saudi foreign minister, and I am meeting the Palestinian ambassador tomorrow. I also spoke to the US Secretary of…

I wish to reassure the Deputy. This was the first opportunity I have had to speak to the new Israeli foreign minister. We had a long conversation lasting about 35 to 40 minutes. It was welcome. I have not spoken to him before this, he has not been in government before now. I believe in engagement. I believe in direct conversation and building relationships. That is the way to persuade people of one's point of view. That is the way one tries to influence governments in other parts of the world with which one may dis…

On 21 July the Government agreed a list of 15 locations for which the advice against non-essential travel no longer applies, as far as formal travel advice is concerned. The travel advice for those locations now is to take normal precautions which is represented by a green bar under the system of country risk ratings used by my Department. It is important to note that the list of territories subject to this change in travel advice was compiled in close consultation with the Department of Health. As such it is subje…

I am not. Is the Deputy saying he is?

The Deputy is a great man to try to twist reality to try to make political arguments. The Government message is very clear to people. This year people should holiday at home. That is the safest thing to do for their families and themselves. If people are travelling, and we know that up to 50,000 people a week are, my Department has an obligation to give factual information based on risk and data. That is what we have done. The public health advice, which is to stay at home this year, is very clearly part of the mes…

Shouting does not make the point any clearer, quite frankly.

What we have done, and we have made it very clear, is there is an obligation on the Department to provide travel advice to people who choose to travel, which is not consistent with what the Government is asking people. The Government message is very clear that people should holiday at home this year. We are not encouraging, supporting or funding people to go on holidays abroad. If people choose to travel I have an obligation to rate countries on the basis of risk level in order that people can take the appropriate …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 32 and 34 together. The Government is closely monitoring the situation in Hong Kong following the adoption of a national security law on 30 June by the Chinese National People's Congress. I made a statement on 1 July to express my concern at the adoption of this law and reiterated Ireland's full support for fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, such as freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly. I have also discussed the issue with the Chinese ambassador, directly and…

It is noteworthy that other EU member states have not yet made that decision. Sometimes the most effective way to move something forward is to act together. We are talking to other member states about the issue. I acknowledge that some countries have moved, but there is sense in EU countries talking to each other and potentially seeking to act together, as well as communicating with China on a bilateral basis about our concerns. We have a very good diplomatic relationship with China. We speak frankly about issues w…

We work with the Chinese ambassador on many things. For example, when Ireland needed to source PPE recently, the ambassador was extraordinarily helpful. He helped to facilitate the arrangements that allowed us to deal with a very serious public health issue. We also deal with the ambassador with regard to important consular cases all the time. I raised with him in a frank way the issue the Deputies raise. He has a very different perspective. The Chinese Government's view, which one would expect him to reflect, rega…