Wednesday, 15 Jul 2026

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Questions (95)

Ruairí Ó Murchú

Question:

95. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meetings in June in Hungary with the Hungarian Prime Minister. [47367/26]

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Written answers

I travelled to Budapest, Hungary on the 4 June to meet with Hungary’s newly elected Prime Minister Peter Magyar. My visit took place in the context of the Government’s preparations for undertaking the Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 July.

The meeting was an opportunity to set out Ireland’s high-level priorities for our Presidency, and to hear from Prime Minister Magyar’s views on Hungarian priorities on the key EU files and issues that we will be seeking to advance during our six-month term.

I briefed the Prime Minister on our plans to focus on improving EU competitiveness, negotiating the Union’s next budget, security and making progress on EU enlargement.

I welcomed Prime Minister Magyar’s commitment to bringing Hungary back into the heart of Europe in line with our shared values, including respect for the rule of law. I am committed to working with him and his government, together with the European Council, during our term as Presidency on these issues, including with regard to EU funding.

My visit to Budapest began with an informal reception with Irish community leaders, followed by a visit to the new Speaker Agnes Forsthoffer at the National Parliament. I also visited the 1956 uprising memorial and the shoes sculpture by the Danube that honours the memory of Hungary’s many Jewish Holocaust victims.

Cabinet Committees

Questions (96, 97, 98)

Ruairí Ó Murchú

Question:

96. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Government Co-ordination will next meet. [49238/26]

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Pa Daly

Question:

97. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Government Co-ordination will next meet. [49320/26]

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Cian O'Callaghan

Question:

98. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Government Co-ordination will next meet. [51119/26]

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Written answers

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 96 to 98, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Co-ordination generally meets in advance of Government meetings and is expected to meet next week.

I am a member of the Committee, with the Tánaiste and the Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports.

The Secretary General to the Government and the relevant Chiefs of Staff also sit in on the meetings.

The Committee:

(1) reviews the activity of cabinet committees;

(2) reviews the agenda of Government meetings; and

(3) discusses political priorities and implementation of the Programme for Government.

Question No. 97 answered with Question No. 96.

Question No. 98 answered with Question No. 96.

Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements

Questions (99)

Malcolm Byrne

Question:

99. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Taoiseach to report on the visit of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to Ireland in June 2026. [48556/26]

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Written answers

The Taoiseach

The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, paid an official visit to Ireland on 13 and 14 June. He was accompanied on the visit, which reflected the depth and warmth of the relationship between our two nations, by his wife Madame Diana Fox Carney.

As the House is aware, Prime Minister Carney has a close personal relationship with this country, his grandparents having emigrated to Canada in the 1920s.

I had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister on 13 June at which we reaffirmed the close and longstanding ties between Ireland and Canada. We agreed a Strategic Economic Partnership between Ireland and Canada which will deepen co-operation across a range of sectors including trade and investment, life sciences, food, climate, education and culture.

We discussed the success of the trade agreement between the EU and Canada – CETA – which has already delivered significant benefits to both sides, including to Ireland. The Prime Minister expressed his wish to build a closer relationship between Canada and the EU. I assured him of my strong support for such a goal and said that Ireland would seek to advance it in our work as EU Presidency.

We also discussed wider international matters, including the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, the shifting global trade landscape, and Ireland's forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

That evening, I hosted a dinner in Dublin Castle, to welcome the Prime Minister and to celebrate his visit. In my remarks, I highlighted the historic and enduring bonds between Ireland and Canada — a sentiment warmly echoed in the Prime Minister's own address. The evening closed with a programme of entertainment celebrating Canadian and Irish talent, a fitting tribute to the shared heritage of both nations.

The Prime Minister had a programme in Mayo on Sunday, 14 June, to explore and celebrate his connections to that county. I joined him at a Mass in Aghagower, the place from which his grandparents emigrated and therefore of deep personal significance to his family's heritage. He was also offered a Civic Reception in his honour hosted by Mayo County Council in Westport.

Ireland’s relationship with Canada has always been strong. It has been strengthened in recent years by an increasingly vibrant economic relationship with trade between our countries having grown significantly since the entry into force of CETA.

The Prime Minister and I are both strongly committed to seeing that relationship grow further in the years to come.

Cabinet Committees

Questions (100)

James Geoghegan

Question:

100. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on the Economy, Trade and Competitiveness will next meet. [49217/26]

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Written answers

The Taoiseach

The Cabinet Committee on the Economy, Trade and Competitiveness last met on Monday, 25 May. The next meeting of the Cabinet Committee has not yet been scheduled.

Cabinet Committees

Questions (101)

James Geoghegan

Question:

101. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on EU and International Affairs will next meet. [49218/26]

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Written answers

The Taoiseach

The Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland’s Future, recognises the importance of Cabinet Committees to the policy development and oversight work of Government.

The Cabinet Committee on EU and International Affairs was established by the Government on 18 February 2025.

Its role is to oversee implementation of Programme for Government commitments in relation to the European Union, including during Ireland’s EU Presidency which commenced on 1 July 2026, as well as international issues.

The Cabinet Committee last met on 29 June, and a date has not yet been set for the next meeting.