Written Answers Nos. 219-238
219. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the dates in 2025, and to-date in 2026, where the Irish ambassador based in Washington DC met formally with the United States secretary of homeland security, in tabular form. [16342/26]
View answerRegular, high-level engagement with the U.S. is a priority for the Government. During my own recent visit to Washington, I met with a range of high level members of the Administration and Capitol Hill.
On a day to day basis, this is led by the Ambassador in Washington D.C. who engages with a wide range of Administration interlocutors, in formal and informal settings. While the Embassy and Ambassador have considerable and on-going engagement with the Department of Homeland Security, the Ambassador has not met formally with the Secretary of Homeland Security in 2025/2026.
220. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline Ireland's trading relationship with Mexico; and the steps that are being taken to improve the relationship.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16505/26]
View answerThe Government’s strategy for relations with Latin America and the Caribbean sets out a goal for Ireland to pursue strong, mutually beneficial economic partnership with the region.
Mexico is the world’s 13th largest economy and a G20 member with a strong manufacturing base. It is Ireland’s largest trade and investment partner in Latin America, accounting for 69% of total merchandise trade with the LAC region in 2024.
Trade with Ireland has seen substantial growth in the last decade. In 2025 goods exports were € 3.616 billion, a 7% increase on 2024, while good imports were €2.298 billion, an increase of 72% on 2024. Trade in services figures for 2024 for Mexico were service exports: €2.916 billion a 47% increase on 2023, with service imports of €804 million, a 34% increase on 2023.
To support further growth a number of initiatives are underway in 2026, among them:
The Minister of State for Employment, Small Businesses and Retail & Circular Economy, Alan Dillon, will visit Mexico in the coming weeks for a St Patrick’s Day programme with a strong emphasis on promoting business and economic links.
The Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Enterprise, Tourism and Employment will host an Ireland Latin America and Caribbean Trade Horizons Conference on 13 May in Dublin. This is a high level event to promote trade and economic growth between Ireland and the region. Strong participation from Mexico will be an integral part of the conference.
Finally, the EU Mexico Modernised Global Agreement is currently under review by EU Member States, updating the longstanding political and trade agreement between Mexico and the EU.
221. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will report on activities of the Irish Consulate General Office in Sao Paulo, including staffing levels. [16506/26]
View answerIreland and Brazil enjoy warm bilateral relations, which are strengthened by our long-standing historical links and by the large, vibrant Brazilian community resident in Ireland.
The opening of Ireland’s Consulate General in São Paulo in 2018 demonstrates the deepening of the relationship between Brazil and Ireland and our commitment to the future of this partnership. The launch in 2022 of Ireland’s Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean further demonstrated Ireland’s commitment to expand our engagement in the region.
Ireland’s Consulate General in São Paulo, works closely with the Embassy of Ireland in Brasilia to develop Ireland’s political, economic, cultural and people-to-people connections with Brazil. For example, in the area of education and research, the Consulate has a strong partnership with the Research Foundation of the State of São Paul, as well as the University of São Paulo (USP), including the WB Yeats’ Chair of Irish Studies. The Consulate also provides services to Irish citizens, across the seven states in the South and Southeast region of Brazil – São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná and Espírito Santo – for which the Consulate has responsibility. There are currently two posted diplomats and 3 local staff working in the Consulate.
The Consulate also works closely with the State Agencies, including Enterprise Ireland, whose regional headquarters are based in Ireland House in São Paulo, as part of Team Ireland’s collective work to advance Ireland’s commercial and promotional interests.
The upcoming visit of my colleague, Minister Darragh O’Brien, as part of St. Patrick’s Day 2026, will serve to strengthen our ties in the above areas.
222. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to list all schemes, funding programmes, capital funds, grant streams or other expenditure headings administered by her Department in 2025 and 2026 which result in allocations, awards, or spending that can be identified with a specific geographical location including county, district, town, or project site, to group these by funding stream or programme heading; to indicate, for each scheme, whether details of allocations or awards are published online; and if so, where such information may be accessed. [16551/26]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's financial management system does not record this level of detail in relation to geographical location of spending in Ireland.
223. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide the web link to her Department’s Q4 2025 published report of purchase orders/payments over €20,000, in line with the FOI model publication scheme requirements; the date on which this report was published; and if it has not yet been published, the planned publication date. [16569/26]
View answerThis Department complies with the requirement to publish all purchase orders exceeding €20,000, as required under the 2011 Public Service Reform Plan. These publications refer to transactions for goods and services. These are publicly accessible and published quarterly in arrears on the gov.ie website on this weblink: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-foreign-affairs/organisation-information/payments-over-20000
224. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to confirm, in respect of her Department’s published quarterly reports of procurement-related payments or purchase orders over €20,000 (details supplied), where such reports are published in PDF format but originate from an Excel or similar spreadsheet file, that the underlying data was fully expanded and validated prior to conversion so that all columns including supplier names and descriptions are fully visible and readable in the published document; to clarify whether any quality assurance process is applied to ensure that data is not truncated or partially obscured in the PDF version; and where the source file exists in machine-readable format, whether her Department will make the original Excel or CSV file available alongside the PDF in the interest of transparency, accessibility and data re-use. [16586/26]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade publishes payment reports on a quarterly basis in machine-readable PDF format. These documents can be searched, copied and pasted using PDF tools and functionality. These records are checked before publication to ensure that all relevant data is visible.
225. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether Ireland, in its capacity as a participating State of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, intends to nominate and deploy Irish election observers through the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to monitor the forthcoming snap parliamentary elections in Bulgaria; if so, the number of observers proposed; the basis on which such nominations are determined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16627/26]
View answer226. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether Ireland, as a participating State of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, will nominate and deploy Irish election observers through the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to monitor the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Hungary; if so, the number of observers proposed; the criteria applied by her Department when deciding on participation in such missions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16628/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 225 and 226 together.
The Government remains firmly committed to the promotion of democratisation, the protection of human rights, and the advancement of the rule of law, as core pillars of Ireland’s foreign policy. Support for international election observation represents an important element of this commitment, and Ireland has contributed observers to such missions since the 1990s.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains and administers a dedicated roster to facilitate Ireland’s participation in election observation missions organised by the OSCE and the European Union. The current five-year Roster, which commenced on 1 January 2024, has 170 members.
Since the beginning of this Roster cycle in 2024, a total of 115 members have participated in 28 election observation missions. Applications from Roster members are assessed through an appraisal process, taking into consideration factors such as prior mission experience, country and regional expertise, roster rotation, relevant international deployment experience, and gender balance.
Ireland has nominated one Long-Term Observer for the OSCE-ODIHR Election Observation Mission to Hungary. A call for Short-Term Observers for this mission is anticipated, as are further calls for both Long-Term and Short-Term Observers for the OSCE-ODIHR mission to Bulgaria, and decisions on participation will be made in due course.
227. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she has spoken with the South Korean Ambassador to Ireland since her appointment. [16915/26]
View answerIreland enjoys a positive relationship with the Republic of Korea. The two countries have had formal diplomatic relations for 43 years. This relationship is based on regular bilateral and multilateral political engagement, strong people-to-people connections and engagement around our shared values, cultural exchange, and our strong trade and investment links.
Both Ireland and Korea are strong supporters of multilateralism. As export-driven economies with strong competencies in high tech and emerging technologies, Ireland and the Republic of Korea have a shared commitment to the international rules-based trading system, making the Republic of Korea an important partner for Ireland in the Asia Pacific. Ireland’s trade in goods with the Republic of Korea was valued at €2.7 billion in 2024 with trade in services in 2024 amounting to €4.9 billion.
In recent years, our relations with the Republic of Korea have been further enhanced within the framework of my Department’s Asia Pacific Strategy. The upcoming visit of my colleague, Minister of State Seán Canney, to the Republic of Korea in March to mark St. Patrick’s Day will serve to strengthen further the ties between Ireland and the Republic of Korea.
I have had no formal meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ireland since my appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in November 2025. However, officials in my Department engage frequently with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Ireland, on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues. Equally Ireland's Ambassador and Embassy team in Seoul interact regularly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korean officials in the Republic of Korea and, as appropriate, with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Ireland.
My Department remains committed to further developing the strong relationship between Ireland and the Republic of Korea along with deepening and strengthening our already strong bilateral ties across the range of our engagement.
228. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her attention has been drawn to staffing shortages in an Irish embassy (details supplied); the actions she will take to address these concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17005/26]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade currently has 107 diplomatic missions around the world, including embassies, consulates and permanent missions to multilateral organisations such as the European Union and the United Nations.
Human Resources Division in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ensures that staffing levels at all of Ireland’s missions, including the embassy referenced in the question, are kept under continuous review and proactively work to ensure all roles are filled on a timely basis, usually in the summer rotation period.
A number of Government departments also second officers to a number of Ireland’s missions overseas.
229. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when she will bring a memorandum to Government regarding the formal exit from the Energy Charter Treaty; to formally end Ireland’s membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17090/26]
View answerAs with all Memoranda for Government concerning Ireland’s participation in international agreements, a proposed decision to withdraw from an international agreement is brought to Government by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment has confirmed that it is intended that Ireland withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty in an expeditious manner. Officials in our respective Departments have been working closely to progress this matter as soon as possible.
I expect to bring the relevant Memorandum to Government in early course and that the process of formally leaving the Treaty will be underway in the second quarter of this year.
230. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the EU Presidency county pairings announced in January; the requirements and obligations for local authorities in relation to this; the engagement that has taken place with local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17091/26]
View answerDetails of the EU Presidency County Parings initiative were announced on 16 January. The initiative aims to engage communities across the country on Ireland’s European relationships during the term of our Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of this year. As part of the initiative, each county in the State has been paired with another EU Member State, and it is envisaged that EU Member State Ambassadors in Ireland will visit the relevant county to undertake a programme of public engagements focused on Ireland’s European relations and our role in the European Union.
Local authorities across the country have been encouraged to support the County Pairings initiative. At the time of the announcement, the Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne TD, and I jointly wrote to Mayors and Cathaoirligh in each local authority to outline the initiative and notify the local authority of the relevant pairing. In that letter, we asked the local authority to nominate a point of contact to work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to take the initiative forward.
It is suggested that each local authority might facilitate a one-day visit by the Ambassador of the relevant EU Member State, accompanied by the Irish Ambassador in the relevant EU Member State capital. Each visit would involve a programme of public engagements, which could include a joint talk at a local library and a visit to a school. Ambassadors may also choose to engage with other sporting, community, youth and civil society organisations.
Where a nominated point of contact has been received, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is facilitating introductions to the relevant embassies to ensure that the local authority is aware of the visit programme being prepared, the dates of the visit, and has an opportunity to engage with the planning process.
Officials in my Department have also met with the Local Government Management Agency to discuss the County Pairings initiative, and will remain available to engage with local authorities on this matter.
I am pleased to see that the initiative has been met with much enthusiasm, as the County Pairings offer a unique opportunity for local authorities to strengthen ties with our EU neighbours and showcase the best of our communities.
Local authorities may choose to expand their engagement with the County Pairing initiative, or the EU Presidency more broadly. To facilitate this, I was pleased to announce, alongside Minister Byrne, the launch of the 2026 Communicating Europe Initiative on 24 February.
The focus of projects this year is on Ireland's 2026 Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the County Pairings programme. The Communicating Europe Initiative provides support to projects which further public awareness of the impact of the EU in our daily lives. In recognition of the role of local authorities in communicating Europe to communities across Ireland, €310,000 has been made available to support programmes developed by local authorities in support of the County Pairings initiative. There is also an allocation of €465,000, which will be available to support voluntary organisations, educational bodies and civil society groups for projects intended to deepen public awareness of the role that the European Union plays in our daily lives. It is envisaged that the maximum individual grant awarded will be in the order of €10,000.
Further details on how to apply to the Communicating Europe Initiative are available on Ireland.ie : www.ireland.ie/en/eu/communicating-europe-initiative/
231. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will address concerns regarding family reunification (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17123/26]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that officials in my Department are in regular contact with the Irish citizen in this case and are continuing to provide consular assistance and guidance.
I fully appreciate that the circumstances of this case are difficult for all concerned. The Embassy of Ireland maintain regular engagement with the authorities of the jurisdiction concerned. The concerns of the Government are raised regularly at a political level, including when I met recently with my counterpart from that country.
Departmental and Embassy officials continue to advise the citizen to work closely with their local legal representative in relation to recent developments as their lawyer is best placed to advise on the laws as they pertain to the jurisdiction in question. I would note that any decisions regarding the enforcement of court orders are a matter for the local authorities.
While my Department cannot interfere in legal or custodial matters, my officials will continue to provide consular assistance to the citizen and to keep me informed on developments in this case.
234. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh den Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála an bhfuil sí i gceist aici nó ag a Ambasáid san Astráil nó i SAM an eachtra dhána a chomóradh ina ndearna na Fíníní an long Catalpa a chur go hIarthar na hAstráile chun seisear ' Fíníní Míleata' a shaoradh óna bpríosúnacht i gCarcair Fremantle agus iad a thionlacan slán go Nua Eabhrac, SAM, 150 bliain ó shin in 1876. [17153/26]
View answerAustralia and Ireland share close and long-standing connections, underpinned by strong people-to-people links. This year, we celebrate 80 years of diplomatic relations with Australia and our Missions have developed a programme of events to commemorate this important anniversary.
The Embassy in Canberra as well as the Consulates in Sydney and Melbourne have been engaging extensively with organisers of commemorative events on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Catalpa rescue. The Embassy is in discussion with groups in Perth and wider Western Australia and there is close collaboration with the relevant local authorities on the events being planned. Our Ambassador to Australia will attend several of the planned commemorations in March / April this year.
The Embassy also intends to fund an event during the 150th anniversary, in collaboration with the authorities in Western Australia. Emigrant Support Programme funding has been provided to the Fenians Fremantle and Freedom Inc. group which will be running a number of events in Fremantle from 27-31 March, while the Australian Irish Heritage Association (AIHA) will also be hosting a commemoration at the Wild Geese Memorial in Rockingham on Easter Monday. Ireland’s Ambassador to Australia, Fiona Flood, will be taking part in a number of these events together with Western Australian government and local authority contacts. Minister of State Moran, during his upcoming Saint Patrick’s day visit to Australia, is also expected to visit the Catalpa memorial.
235. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will report on the disbursement for monies granted to an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16175/26]
View answer236. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department provided grants or financial aid to an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16176/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 235 and 236 together.
The Angling Consultative Council of Ireland (ACCI) was established in November 2020 to provide a formal channel for national angling organisations to contribute to the development of inland fisheries policy. In October 2024, the ACCI was renamed as the Angling Advisory Group (AAG) to better reflect the Group’s advisory role on inland fishery policy matters.
The AAG is chaired by the Department and includes representatives from Inland Fisheries Ireland, the Angling Council of Ireland (ACI) and angling representative organisations. The full list of members is available on the AAG page on the Department’s website at https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/publications/angling-consultative-council-of-ireland/.
In late 2023, my Department signed a Funding Agreement with ACI, the national governing body for angling in Ireland, to provide funding for disbursement to ACI affiliated organisations to support their participation in the AAG. All disbursements are subject to verification by the Department, are approved by the AAG and are noted in the minutes of the meeting.
€50,000 was provided to ACI in late 2023, of which €19,613.47 has been dispersed to date:
• €11,095.84 in respect of 2023 activities
• €8,517.63 in respect of 2024 activities
I am advised that no funding has been disbursed to date to the federation referred to in the Question.
237. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the legislative or scientific measures are in place to protect vulnerable and genetically distinct Atlantic salmon populations in rivers that are not assessed by the Technical Expert Group on Salmon (TEGOS), in particular the Owenriff (Barna) River system No. 140, situated in the Galway Fishery District No. 9(1) where seven Atlantic salmon were harvested in 2024 according to logbook data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16177/26]
View answer238. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department is considering closing the Owenriff (Barna) River system No. 140, situated in the Galway Fishery District No. 9(1), to all rod and line angling under future legislation considering that it has a small and unprotected population of Atlantic salmon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16178/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 237 and 238 together.
Wild Atlantic Salmon are protected under relevant European and national legislation including EU Habitats Directive, the Inland Fisheries Acts 1959 to 2017, the annual Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme Regulations and relevant national inland fisheries bye-laws.
The Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme provides the statutory framework for the management of salmon fisheries. Under this framework, salmon fishing is only permitted on designated salmon rivers which exceed their conservation limit, as assessed by the Technical Expert Group on Salmon (TEGOS). Rivers that are non-designated or closed do not have an open salmon fishery.
The Owenriff (Barna), which may hold some stocks of salmon, is not a designated salmon river. There are no plans at present to close this river to all rod and line angling. Fishing for other permitted species can take place in non-designated rivers, subject to the necessary licences or permits being in place. Salmon cannot be targeted in non-designated rivers and salmon bycatch (i.e. the incidental or accidental capture of salmon) cannot be retained and must be released immediately to the water unharmed.
