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 are his family. Our focus as a Department has to be the welfare of our Irish citizens, whether they are in prison or on trial. Whatever the circumstances, it is about making sure we have compassionate, non-judgmental consular assistance to ensure the well-being of our Irish citizens. That has been my focus and my priority and, indeed, that of our team.
We have a consulate general in Munich, supported by our embassy in Berlin. Our consular assistance unit in Dublin has been providing assistance since September 2025. We have a dedicated consular officer in Munich assigned to the case. Consulate staff, including the consul general, have visited Daniel in prison on seven occasions, most recently on 1 September. Generally when someone is in this situation, there are about two visits a year. There have been seven visits over the last year because of the issues that have been raised and because I am very keen that we engage directly with Daniel and his family. A further visit is scheduled for this week, which reflects a higher level of engagement than we would generally have. These visits allow us to assess the conditions of detention and Daniel's welfare. They are also an opportunity for him to raise with us any concerns about his treatment. We have been very clear in asking him to raise any issues where they emerge.
Germany shares our foundational commitment to the rule of law as a member state of the European Union. While we recognise that laws and practices can differ greatly across the world, we do expect that for a member of the European Union with which we have shared values and commitments, those practices will be upheld. Naturally, though, there are aspects of the legal process in Germany that may operate differently from a legal process here in Ireland. Deputy Boyd Barrett mentioned the formal transcription of court hearings being a common practice in Ireland. It is, absolutely. My understanding, and what has been relayed to me, is that it is not uncommon for a presiding judge in that jurisdiction to dictate a formal summary of the proceedings into the official record. I have other examples of cases that have been brought to me where the jurisdiction has done things differently, but it is not specific to the Irish individual. I have to stress that we are monitoring and keeping a very close eye on this.
