We are taking action under the International Court of Justice. That is how it works. That is how we hold people to account at international level. We support the international courts and make a submission. It used to be the demand of the Opposition that we would do that. We have done that. We remain committed in respect of that but we also remain committed to the peace plan. I presume that is a plan the Deputy supports. We have to give this plan an opportunity. We have to give the opportunity for peace. Yes, we mus…

Fundamentally I do not disagree with what the Deputy said. I would like to see the occupied Palestinian territories not occupied. I would like to see a Palestinian state. I would like to see a peace plan that provides an opportunity for a state of Palestine alongside a state of Israel and people living in peace and security in both of them, so yes, we should move ahead with the occupied Palestinian territories but we should also use every bit of diplomatic heft we have in Ireland, the EU and the UN and work with ou…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the abducted children. It was brought up yesterday at the Foreign Affairs Council by the Commissioner and the European Commission now intends to hold a specific summit on this in early 2026. That is in addition to the other activities under way in the various international coalitions, including some Ireland is part of. The Deputy is right to put a spotlight on this. It is one of the particularly cruel and despicable aspects of Russia's illegal aggression and invasion of U…

I am satisfied that the tightening up of the sanctions regime is of significant assistance but I am also clear that there are always people looking to get around the sanctions. Russia is always looking to get around the sanctions, to be specific. That is why when the package comes forward - we need to see the 19th package agreed, I hope this week - we need to start preparation of the 20th package and a focus on the shadow fleet and removing any reliance Europe has on energy from Russia as quickly as possible. The D…

I genuinely believe the US Administration and President Trump want to see an end to the war. I believe they want to see a ceasefire. It is fair to say that there have been different tactical or strategic approaches to how to bring that about on both sides of the Atlantic. Europe has been clear on the sanctions and the need to exert maximum economic pressure. However, - and I say this quite objectively; I picked this up at our meeting in Luxembourg yesterday - there are now good lines of communication between Europe…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 162 together. Responsibility for the regulation of foreign aircraft landing or overflying the State is shared between Departments. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has primary responsibility for the regulation of foreign military and other foreign state aircraft, while the Department of Transport leads on the regulation of civil aircraft. Under the terms of the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, all foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly, …

What date is the Deputy referring to?

In 2023?

My apologies. This is what appeared online in relation to a story alleging that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had authorised a US military plane to refuel at Shannon Airport on Sunday on its way from what is now called the Department of War airbase to an Israel Defense Forces base.

There was a second article on 17 October that reiterated the claim that the State had allowed the transfer of munitions of war on board a US military plane and, indeed, that it had apparently been authorised by me to touch down at Shannon Airport to travel through Irish territory on its way to Israel. Having reviewed the Department’s records, the flight in question was a civil aircraft that travelled from South Carolina to Athens in Greece and landed in Shannon Airport on 12 October for a technical stopover. As thi…

I have been quite clear in relation to this matter, in relation to the role my Department plays, in relation to the types of flights that require diplomatic clearance, in relation to the monthly log that is published on the Government’s website and in relation to the system of exemptions that operates under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989, as operated by the Department of Transport. I have also been clear that in 2023, 2024 and to date this year, n…

Ireland and Canada enjoy a strong relationship based on a common history and a shared commitment to democracy, human rights and a rules-based international order. I am pleased to say there have been a number of positive developments in this relationship in recent months, including the visit by the Taoiseach to meet with Prime Minister Carney in Ottawa last month. Both reaffirmed the enduring friendship between our two countries, our commitment to deepening economic ties and the importance of Ireland’s full ratifica…

That is a great idea and a very constructive suggestion. There will be a number of opportunities where we can try to constructively explore this. One would be the fact that the Taoiseach has invited the Canadian Prime Minister to visit Ireland next year. I am delighted to hear that the Prime Minister has agreed, so we will have Prime Minister Carney here. I will let Deputy McGreehan ask the Taoiseach if he can come to County Louth.

I am sure he will be delighted to. The Deputy brought President Biden there so why not Prime Minister Carney? As the Deputy can imagine, we will want that visit to have a legacy, and that legacy has to be based on opportunities to deepen ties. The de Chastelain link is one we are very proud of. I had the honour of meeting that man, who was an incredible individual. The Deputy is right to highlight the people-to-people links and educational links. Let us certainly explore that. I would be happy to work with the Depu…

I agree. Prime Minister Carney is a friend of Ireland. Canada and Ireland are friends. We need to work together. I am delighted to hear of the friendship group and Deputy's McGreehan's chairpersonship of that. I am delighted that hear from Deputy Lahart of the foreign affair committee's visit to Canada. They can perhaps drop off the invite to County Louth while they are there. I agree with Deputy Burke about that whole issue of trade. That is why we have published the action plan on market diversification. We want …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 140 together. I thank Deputies Lahart, O'Meara and Ardagh for the questions. Russia has to be held accountable for its action. In my view, Ireland's view and the view of the Government, Russia needs to pay for the destruction that it has brought and is sadly still bringing about by its illegal brutal war in Ukraine. As a result of extensive sanction measures, in particular the Ukraine territorial integrity sanctions regime, the private financial assets of more than 2,500 indi…

It is a good idea. My Department remains available to brief any Member of the Opposition, and most particularly party spokespeople and leaders.

I do not want to say off the top of my head that they have not, but I am not aware of any such recent briefings. However, it is available. I will talk to the Taoiseach to how best to facilitate the Deputy's suggestion. It is a good one because there is a war on the Continent of Europe. This country is going to have the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of next year. As the Deputy said, there are issues with the shadow fleet. There are real issues in relation to the incursio…

Ireland agrees with that principle. The European Union is clear that Russia needs to pay for the destruction. What we also need to do - and based on what the Deputy said, the Ukrainian ambassador is correct - we have to find lawful ways of doing this. We have to work with international partners. There are some member states in the Europe Union that have concerns around this for a whole variety of domestic economic reasons. They need to be teased through as well. If there was a way forward to better utilise that res…

I thank Deputy Burke for the question. I met Secretary Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, on 25 September at the Department of Commerce in Washington DC as part of a broader bilateral visit to the US. This meeting provided me with a valuable opportunity to discuss the dynamic economic, trade and investment relationship that exists between our two countries, as well as the implementation of the joint statement on an EU-US framework agreement on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade, which was published on 21 A…