Written Answers Nos. 271-291
273. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if in preparation for Ireland's hosting of the EU Presidency from July to December 2026, a venue outside of Dublin, such as Killarney, has been considered as a location for summit meetings of EU senior officials (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37096/26]
View answerIreland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time from 1 July to 31 December this year. The Presidency will be an opportunity for Ireland to play an important role in leading and shaping the EU’s policy and legislative agenda, and the Government has made a firm commitment to resource and deliver a successful Presidency.
Preparations for Ireland’s Presidency are continuing, including the development of the calendar of events which will take place in Ireland during our Presidency term. Planning for the Presidency meetings programme had included an assessment of the suitability of a wide range of locations as possible venues for Presidency meetings and events, taking account of specific criteria.
The Government has committed in the Programme for Government to bring some of the high-level meetings of our Presidency to cities and counties across Ireland, ensuring the entire country benefits from the profile the Presidency brings. Overall, including conferences and meetings of officials from across the 27 EU Member States, we expect to host more than 250 Presidency events in Ireland. The official Presidency calendar, with details of all Presidency meetings and events, will be published in June, shortly before the beginning of our Presidency term.
276. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if an online passport application for a person (details supplied) living in the North that was submitted on 1 March 2026 will issue on time for their travel date 2 June 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37141/26]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued the passport to the applicant.
280. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her Department has any usage policy on or if it sanctions for official purposes the use of messaging apps (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37202/26]
View answerThe use of private messaging apps in my Department is covered under the Appropriate Use of ICT Resources policy and in line with the DPER circular 09/2019 "Policy on the Use of Private Email and Other Private Messaging Services".
Staff are issued with advice and guidance on the use of messaging apps and mobile phones as part of mandatory cyber awareness training and ongoing cyber security awareness campaigns.
285. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her assessment of reports from Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based monitoring organisation, that the Iranian regime has deliberately accelerated the execution of political prisoners and protesters under the cover of the ongoing US-Israeli military conflict with Iran, including at least 145 confirmed executions since 28 February 2026; whether she has raised this specific pattern with EU counterparts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37430/26]
View answerI am deeply concerned by the use of executions to suppress political dissent and human rights activism in Iran.
I am aware of the report by Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty, that has found at least 1,639 people were executed in 2025, a 68% increase from 2024. This is part of a worrying trend, with a drastic year-on-year increase in executions since the 2022 “Women, Life, Freedom” protests. It regrettably does appear that the conditions of the current war have emboldened the authorities to carry out further executions of political prisoners, protestors and human rights activists, including some of those arrested at the time of the protests and massacres in January. Many executions are not announced by authorities, and many are sentenced after unfair trials and without due process.
Ireland is strongly opposed to the use of the death penalty in all cases and in all circumstances, and there are many especially troubling aspects to its use in Iran. At the 2025 Universal Periodic Review of Iran at the UN Human Rights Council, Ireland raised the death penalty and highlighted Iran’s use of the death penalty against human rights defenders, especially women. We called for the end of all executions in Iran.
My Department regularly engages with NGOs and human rights organisations that have expressed grave concern for the substantial increase in the use of the death penalty in Iran. This is an extremely troubling development which we are following closely.
Ireland has consistently raised our concerns about Iran’s human rights abuses and use of the death penalty both bilaterally and in multilateral fora such as the Human Rights Council and the United Nations Third Committee on Human Rights. We have consistently called on Iran to ensure full respect for its international human rights obligations. In the circumstances of the current war, unfortunately, opportunities for engagement with the Iranian authorities are very limited.
I have raised our concern for Iran’s use of the death penalty with EU colleagues at the Foreign Affairs Council, and we also do so at official level. Our concerns are widely shared. The EU urges Iranian authorities to pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of the death penalty altogether. In April it strongly condemned the use of capital punishment as a response to domestic dissent.
286. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether she has communicated to the United States administration, or to EU counterparts engaged with the US-Iran peace process, Ireland's position that any negotiated settlement between the United States and Iran must include binding human rights commitments, including a moratorium on the execution of political prisoners and protesters, given reports that ongoing negotiations make no reference to the situation of condemned prisoners; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37431/26]
View answerIreland has expressed its unequivocal condemnation of the violence, killing and brutal repression of protestors by the authorities in Iran. We raise our concerns about Iran’s human rights abuses and use of the death penalty bilaterally, in the EU, and in multilateral fora such as the Human Rights Council and the United Nations Third Committee on Human Rights. We have consistently called on Iran to ensure full respect for its international human rights obligations. I have addressed this issue in more detail in my reply to Question 37430/26 today.
The contacts between the United States and Iran to try and end the recent conflict are being conducted privately, with the support of a small number of countries as intermediaries. The details of these contacts are not shared with other Governments, including Ireland. We understand that the central issues under discussion are the conflict itself, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the nature of Iran’s nuclear programme. There are many other issues of concern in relation to Iran, including very strong concerns about human rights issues.
A key concern for the Government at this time is that this conflict is brought to a definitive end, including a resolution of the nuclear issue which was a major contributing factor. In this context, Ireland has consistently called for dialogue and diplomacy. We therefore welcome that the contacts between the US and Iran are continuing, and urge all parties to engage with all efforts towards peace. Ireland has further called on all parties to uphold international law, including the protection of civilians.
287. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of additional staff employed or that will be employed by her Department directly or under contract for the purposes of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026. [37453/26]
View answerIreland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time from 01 July to 31 December 2026 and preparations are continuing to intensify in my Department at headquarters, in the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union and across the mission network.
At headquarters in Dublin, 79 temporary Presidency Policy Officers have been recruited on fixed-term contracts to assist with the preparation, planning and execution of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In addition, six temporary translators have been recruited on fixed-term contracts for the duration of the Presidency. Three of these translators will provide Irish language translation and three will provide French language translation.
Across the mission network, my Department has hired 45 additional temporary local staff to date, with five additional local staff to be employed to support Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. 25 of these locally recruited positions are based at the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium and 25 of the temporary staff are based at other missions overseas.
288. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to issue a detailed up-to-date response to an urgent matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37469/26]
View answerI am aware of an Israeli operation, beginning on 18 May, to intercept vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters to the west of Cyprus. This has resulted in the detention of 14 Irish citizens.
As I am sure you are aware, I recently condemned the interception of vessels in international waters, and called on the Israeli authorities to release all Irish citizens detained, and to uphold their obligations under international law to ensure the safety and welfare of all those on board the Flotilla.
While my Department has long advised against all travel to Israel and Palestine, in this case, their safety and wellbeing is my primary concern.
I assure you that officials from across my Department continue to closely monitor the developing situation, and that officials from embassies in the region are in regular contact with the relevant local authorities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all those detained. Our Embassy in Israel has also been in direct contact with the Israeli authorities to secure consular access as soon as possible.
I can further assure you that consular officers in Dublin are also in direct and continuous contact with Ireland-based Flotilla organisers, and with the families of all those detained.
As you know, a similar interception operation took place on Wednesday 29 April in waters close to Greece, resulting in the interception of several ships, and the detention of seven Irish citizens.
I can confirm that all seven Irish citizens were subsequently released in Greece and, were received by officials from our Embassy there, as well as our Honorary Consul, who provided consular assistance. This included the offer of food, water, support arranging accommodation, and access to the means to contact their loved ones at home.
Rest assured, that my Department will provide consular assistance to impacted Irish citizens.
289. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will review the case of persons (details supplied); the status of the applications; if the applications will be expedited given the circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37486/26]
View answerWith regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued the passports to the applicants.
290. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland will support Montenegro's path towards European Union membership (details supplied) and give a detailed response to all the issues raised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37588/26]
View answerIreland is a strong supporter of merit-based EU enlargement, which will be a key priority of our EU Presidency. We believe that all candidate countries should join the EU once they have met the necessary accession criteria.
Ireland welcomes Montenegro’s significant efforts towards EU membership and supports Montenegro’s aim to join the EU in 2028. We will work with the European Commission, Member States and the authorities in Montenegro to complete the closure of the remaining negotiating chapters during our EU Presidency.
Montenegro is the most advanced candidate country in accession negotiations, with all 33 chapters opened and 14 provisionally closed. I do not underestimate the enormous administrative and policy reform work that goes into closing chapters and aligning a candidate country with the EU acquis. At the end of April, the Ad-Hoc Committee on Drafting Montenegro’s Accession Treaty – which Ireland will be chairing during our Presidency – was established. This step, which I welcome, is seen as an important signal by EU Member States that a candidate is moving into the closing phase of the negotiation process. Ireland will seek to build upon this momentum during our Presidency and encourages Montenegro to implement the necessary reforms to align with all EU laws to allow them to close all remaining chapters.
Throughout this process, Ireland’s bilateral relationship with Montenegro is strengthening. In September, the Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Montenegro visited Dublin where he met both the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach. In February this year, the President of Montenegro paid the first official bilateral visit of a Montenegrin President to Ireland. On 11 May, I participated in a discussion at the Foreign Affairs Council on the EU's relations with Western Balkans countries, including Montenegro. Next month, the Taoiseach will attend the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Montenegro and the Montenegrin Minister for European Affairs will visit Ireland.
Ireland is also providing technical support to Montenegro to strengthen their administrative and institutional capacity. Last year, my Department, through the EU Enlargement and Fundamental Values Fund, launched the “Ireland for EU Enlargement” capacity-building programme which supports candidate countries engaged in the EU accession process. Officials from Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova participated in the 2025 programme. This year, the programme has been expanded to invite officials from all six Western Balkan countries, as well as Ukraine and Moldova.
Ireland will maintain full support to Montenegro on its EU accession path. We will continue to provide it with political and technical assistance as it enters a vital period for its goal of joining the EU.
