I thank the Deputy for raising this question. The Government launched its new diaspora strategy at the global Irish civic forum on 30 April. It was launched by the Minister of State, Deputy Neale Richmond. He has led the largest ever consultation with the Irish abroad, with over 27 in-person meetings around the world. This included Oireachtas Members. We also hosted the first ever online consultation, the global Irish survey, which received some 10,000 responses. Since then, the Minister of State has promoted the s…

I spoke to some of our diaspora directly when I was in New York. I see the frustration. This is something we all want to get over the line. We have committed to it previously and are working on it. We have driving licence exchange agreements with 21 jurisdictions, from Australia to Canada and everywhere in between. We are now working on concluding agreements with the US. One of the challenges is that every exchange has to be concluded at a state level, meaning we cannot do just one agreement and it has to be on an …

Technical engagements have to happen with the Road Safety Authority. Again, we want to get this done as quickly as possible. The RSA is engaging with its counterparts in New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey, and our teams. I have asked our teams after last week's engagement to make sure we can move this along as quickly as possible. There is so much more happening with the diaspora strategy. It is about making sure we revitalise the global Irish hub and respond to community needs, promote well-being and look at a…

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising this matter. I know he travelled recently with a number of colleagues from my own party and others to Germany specifically to engage with Daniel and his family. I am aware my officials have facilitated that and provided support and we will continue to provide that support to the Deputy and, most important, to his family. I am following developments very closely and will continue to do so because at the heart of this an Irish citizen is going through a very difficult time, as …

Based on what Deputy Boyd Barrett has just said about the comparison, I am happy to engage further with Daniel's family to see what more we can do. Germany is a country of the EU and we expect the rules to apply, and their court systems and structures to uphold the values we share. I am conscious of what the Deputy has said and what has been relayed to me by colleagues as well. We are keeping oversight of what is happening. We are engaging extensively with Daniel. We are speaking directly to him and his family beca…

I completely refute that. I have raised this directly with my German colleague. I have no issue in raising this case or highlighting where there are issues of concern. I have consistently stated that the role of our consulate and our teams, first and foremost, is to protect and support our Irish citizens. It is not to provide legal advice, nor to contradict or take on the role of the legal advisers. Daniel and his family have a legal team that is supporting them. I have said clearly today that I am happy to engage …

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Irrespective of what we might disagree on, this is an issue that we all actually agree on. We all fully agree that the only viable solution for both Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side and to have peace and security, is the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, with Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace and security, and with Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states. It has been clear for some time now that the unilateral …

On that last point, there is a proposal from the Commission to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement. That was brought about because of the advocacy of Ireland and a number of countries last year. At that time, proposals were also made to impose sanctions on violent settlers and those responsible for the October attacks a number of years ago. What is very clear, unfortunately, and I say "unfortunately" because we fully support the suspension of the association agreement, is that there is not support for that.…

I am not sure the Irish Government can be any clearer in our position. The Taoiseach and all of us have said we are appalled by the actions of the Israeli Government. We consider this to be an attempt to completely eliminate an entire population and remove them from their land. Trade is an EU competence. We have moved unilaterally, which is not something that the Commission or others want to see happen, but more and more countries are now starting to move unilaterally because the Commission is not moving. As I said…

I thank the Deputy. As she said, I do not think any of us expected to be here talking about the Garvaghy Road and the potential for a parade or march to be taking place, given the history and the fact that 28 years have passed without this parade. I do not want to get into the decision last week, but the Government's views are well-known in that regard. The focus and priority now have to be on how we move things forward and make sure there is a peaceful solution for the residents, in particular. I can see that for …

I thank the Deputy and appreciate the comments she has made. It is important, given where we are now and the engagement that has happened and is happening in quite a short space of time, that we allow communities the time and space to try to find a way forward. A legal case is coming up. Given what happened last weekend with the courts, nobody wants another weekend where we have something similar happening. A huge amount of work has been done this week to bring people together and try and find a way forward. I have…

I agree with the comments of the Taoiseach this week. The PSNI has dealt with a very difficult situation this week and has been doing a very good job. I met the chief constable and others not long ago. We spoke about the challenges that remain in Northern Ireland with the PSNI and different communities, how we can bring people together and how the PSNI can be more representative of both communities. There are many different challenges. This week Jon Boutcher and the community in the PSNI have done a very good job i…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I fully agree with him. The relationship and partnership Ireland and France has is shaped by a number of things, including our proximity. With the UK having left the EU, it is our closest EU neighbour. We have deep historical connections and increasingly integrated economic ties. We also have many shared values. For that reason, earlier this year I launched the new France-Ireland joint strategic framework for 2026 to 2030, with my French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot. The …

I thank both Deputies. The naming of this road was raised before by Deputies Heneghan and Ward, as well as by other Deputies. My understanding is that the OPW engaged on this but I am happy to engage with it further to see whether there are different options available. The point is how we commemorate and acknowledge that relationship and connection. I know there are familial connections, such as with the O'Connell family and others. We have launched our new strategic framework, and it is about finding a way within …

I am happy to engage further on this matter. The Deputy mentioned the security and defence space. I met my French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, on 3 June 2026. We discussed our Presidency priorities and how we advance co-operation on competitiveness and other areas, with particular regard to bilateral co-operation on European security and defence. In the Middle East, specifically Lebanon, we have a proud history of working together on the ground. Our troops work to protect the Lebanese people and support the Leba…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. If we look at the timelines and the work done this year, the passport service has issued over 740,000 passports to date, and it will continue to issue a significant number between now and the end of the year. All application types are currently being processed well within the advertised turnaround times. In fact, I would say that if people ordered a renewed passport this morning, it would be received in the post tomorrow, such are the turnaround times. In the case of firs…

We have campaigns but what I always try to do, and I encourage colleagues to do as well, is to highlight, insofar as possible and as often as possible, on our own social media and our own channels, just how important it is for people to apply on time. The ones that we hear about, and the ones that come to our offices, are naturally those instances where a mistake has been made, people have forgotten or people do not realise their passport is out of date. In particular, people might decide at the last minute to take…

I will be very honest. I have not heard of anybody waiting six months which is a long, long time because we now have 840 members of staff working around the clock to respond and to make sure the passports are posted out and everything is turned around as quickly as possible. Some 97% of passport applications are now online, so everything is uploaded and we do not have that issue with postage time, although that method is obviously quick as well. For anybody whose application has an issue, it does not go back to the…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Like all colleagues, I very much welcome the announcement by President Trump during his recent visit to Ireland regarding the elimination of US tariffs on Irish whiskey. As the Deputy said, this is a hugely important market for us. The US market, in particular, is a very strategic market for Irish whiskey. Irish whiskey exports to the US in 2025 were worth €362 million, according to Eurostat data. This represents approximately 39% of overall whiskey exports, which is a hug…

Any way in which we can highlight our produce that is home grown and directly connected to our food producers is a win-win for everyone here. I am not just talking about whiskey. I am also talking about food and other types of spirits we produce. There is a connectedness and when it comes to source to product, our country is seen as green, sustainable and one that applies the highest standards across the board. Therefore, we should take every opportunity we have to highlight our produce, farmers and excellent agrif…