I have been clear; I am not trying to be in any way evasive. The Government's position is to legislate prohibiting goods from the occupied Palestinian territory. That is our position. We are happy to engage constructively as we go through this process. More broadly, that means-----

I think I have answered the question directly. The Deputy asked if it is goods or services and I said "goods".

I am saying that at the moment our focus is on progressing legislation to prohibit goods as we bring forward proposals. I am happy to engage with the Deputy in relation to other issues but the programme for Government-----

It is crystal clear.

The Deputy might not like the answer but it is very clear. Give me one moment-----

We will have plenty of time here.

The programme for Government sets out the commitment to progress legislation prohibiting goods from the occupied Palestinian territory. That is the mandate I received and what I am now progressing. The mandate concerns what is in the programme for Government.

I take the point Deputies Kenny and Ó Laoghaire made in good faith about not wanting to see a watered down Bill. The only Bill that would be watered down would be one we would pass knowing it was not in compliance with law, the Constitution or EU law. I am not in the business of passing things I know are not lawful. That is an irresponsible act of government and of legislators.

Our position is that we will pass a Bill that is strengthened due to the fact that it can stand up to scrutiny at an EU level. That is important because we have to pass laws that are compliant. I will meet the Palestinian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in Munich this weekend where I will continue to discuss with them all of the efforts Ireland, the Irish Government and the Irish people are making to support the people of Palestine and international law. I made the point before that the only place on earth wher…

I will. That is the short answer. I join the Deputy in thanking my officials and staff in the passport service for the excellent work they have carried out. Often, I point to the passport service as an example of good practice when it comes to public service reform as regards the work that has been done with the use of technology and online service. The passport service issued over 1 million passport books and cards in 2024. That was a milestone. Forecasts for this year indicate continued strong demand, with around…

I agree with Deputy Ó Laoghaire that great credit is due to the staff. The Deputy will come back in a moment to the issue of the feedback loop, which is an important piece that we should continue to work on. Sometimes, I hear stories about it. Deputy Ó Laoghaire's question is how to get a passport urgently. We should all check our passports, keep them in date and check them before we book foreign travel, but things can happen and people could need to travel unexpectedly for reasons of tragedy and the likes. Custome…

I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire. It is a fair point. I know from memory and from previous postings that quite a bit of work has been done to try to improve the feedback loop, as Deputy Ó Laoghaire correctly referred to it, but based on this discussion, I will undertake to speak to the Minister for Justice on this to see whether more can be done or needs to be done. I know Deputy Ó Laoghaire agrees on the point about the integrity of the process and the importance of valid photographs, valid verification processes, signa…

I thank Deputy Gibney and I congratulate her formally on her election to the House. I look forward to working with her collaboratively also. I thank her for the question. The United States is in a period of change in its economic and trade policy as the new Administration establishes itself. Ireland had a good working relationship with President Trump's Administration during his previous term in office and we look forward to trying to build on that to support strong bilateral and economic ties in the coming years. …

I largely agree with the Deputy's last point in terms of it being important that people know who has been invited to participate in that panel. An indicative list of proposed participants is currently being finalised in consultation with our embassy in Washington, our eight consulates general of Ireland across the United States and our relevant State agencies. Attendees will be drawn from a range of businesses and strategically important sectors with due consideration to a range of issues, including regional divers…

It is important in an environment in which we know there is going to be significant policy change that could have a real impact on trade and investment and on jobs and growth, that we harness every possible avenue that we can in terms of getting the best possible information. That is why I will chair this new consultative forum that will bring all the relevant Departments together and indeed business representatives and others in this country. We will have the first meeting of that in Government Buildings this mont…

I thank the Deputy. I reiterate my strong concerns as to where we find ourselves in relation to the ceasefire agreement that is fragile. It is so important that all parties to that ceasefire agreement adhere to its terms. It is absolutely vital that Hamas releases the hostages and that Israel continues to observe the ceasefire. A return to violence and to conflict is almost unimaginable in terms of the scale of devastation it could bring at a time when we are finally beginning to see humanitarian aid getting into G…

The Deputy is right. We will absolutely continue to speak out in relation to this at an EU level and at every possible forum we have because we have seen more instances of settler violence in recent weeks. While I have welcomed the fact that the EU has adopted successive rounds of sanctions against violent Israeli settlers, it is really important that further listings are considered and that further action is taken. It is also important that at an EU level we finally see happening something for which Ireland has be…

What I have clearly said in relation to the Irish Government's position is that we will bring forward legislation in relation to the occupied territories and that we will fulfil the commitment in the programme for Government which focuses on goods. I said we will also constructively engage on other issues, including the issues the Deputy is raising. However, we are going to have to look at everything through the prism of law and of how things can be operationalised and work. This is a complex area. I was the Taoise…

I thank Deputy McAuliffe and formally congratulate him on his re-election to the House. I was pleased to have an opportunity to speak with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on 27 January. It is important that this was one of the first calls I had an opportunity to make on taking office because the relationship between Ireland and the UK is of fundamental importance. This is reflected in our many close people-to-people links, our significant levels of two-way trade and the depth and breadth of our shared interests an…

Not to digress from the question, I share the Deputy's view. I will always stand up for the right of my colleagues in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to participate in the Dáil and will respect their mandate to the fullest. I thank the Deputy for the kind words about the appointment of my colleague, the Minister of State. I am pleased to have him as my co-pilot at this busy time. The Deputy is right about the importance of the EU and UK working together. I do not like Brexit - we all opposed it but we respect the soverei…