Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Go raibh maith agat. Like many, I have engaged with the Before We Die campaign. The meeting I attended in Cork was one of the most powerful and affecting meetings I have ever attended. It was troubling as well but the fierce love of these parents was obvious. At the end of the day, they want to care for their children as long as they can but they are deeply frustrated. I want to acknowledge the f…

I am finished now, so it is okay. I thank the Acting Chair.

To pick up on some of the international issues in the Taoiseach's speech, I will take this opportunity to once again condemn the attacks on Kyiv in recent days that resulted in the deaths of many civilians. It is a clear demonstration of the war of aggression that has been waged by Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation. There was a vote today in relation to Aughinish Alumina and exports to Rus…

I will ask two questions and the Minister of State can take them together. While we are not saying it needs to be the number one priority, a couple of Deputies have mentioned the opportunity for the Presidency to be a vehicle to discuss Irish unity and how the EU can be a part of that. The slogan of the Presidency is "strength through unity", ní neart go cur le chéile. If any unity is a priority f…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following: “ “Illegal settlement” means any residential area, outpost, or economic zone established, supported, protected or otherwise administered by the State of Israel, in violation of international law, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (including East Jerusalem) that was brought under Israeli administration since …

I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: ""settlement service" means a service provided in whole or in part within a postal code or relevant occupied territory to which this Act applies;". This is part of a series of amendments of which amendments Nos. 16 and 17 are the most substantial. This legislation matters because the settlements are part of a del…

The Minister of State said he did not want to rehearse all the points of the last point. The key bit, however, is that we are looking for something new. We are looking for an explanation. Ultimately, we have not gotten that explanation as to the clear legal basis we cannot proceed. I believe a satisfactory basis exists within the treaties for a public policy exemption. It is the same type of publi…

I move amendment No. 3: In page 4, line 14, to delete “may” and substitute “shall, within 3 months of the commencement of this section”. We had a considerable discussion on this. Ultimately, the Minister on Committee Stage said an order designating postal codes was being drafted and would be moved immediately. We appreciate that it is the position of the Government that it wants to do this as qu…

I listened to the Taoiseach’s speech earlier and I have to confess that I am still trying to figure out which Bill he was responding to because it certainly was not this one. It was the Taoiseach’s single transferable speech on this matter - familiar, hackneyed, complacent and unserious. It asked us to imagine a process much less careful and less thoughtful than what is proposed and to ignore the …

I put it to Micheál Martin. This is the vehicle we have put forward for planning and preparing constitutional change. Where is his? If he is not going to accept what we are bringing forward, what does he propose? He must show us that he is serious about planning, preparing and doing that work.

1. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her views on the humanitarian crisis in Cuba; her views on whether the blockade of Cuba needs to be ended; the steps she is taking to alleviate the crisis; the steps being taken to ensure humanitarian aid is provided to Cuba; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50708/26]

At the outset, and on a separate manner, I take the opportunity to condemn strikes on Kyiv last night resulting in the loss of over a dozen citizens, and perhaps more. It is another example of the war of aggression that is taking an enormous human toll. The first question I have is in relation to the blockade of Cuba. The humanitarian situation there escalates by the day. The impact that it is ha…

Like other issues, the humanitarian aid is necessary but more than that, a political solution is needed. It is clear that US sanctions are pushing the people of Cuba to the brink. Children are dying because doctors cannot access essential medicine and supplies. This is not just what I have said but UN human rights chief, Mr. Volker Türk, and the UN have called the immediate lifting of the United S…

While there are commitments in terms of humanitarian aid, the difficulty is that the current blockade means that even with access to cash, the international payment systems have, to a substantial degree, been blocked off and, indeed, supply of energy is not being facilitated. Countries that would have previously supplied energy, including Mexico and so on, have now substituted to other forms of ai…

3. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her views on the war in Sudan and on the Government's position on same, in particular the need to ensure access to appropriate aid; her position on the continuing concerning flow of weapons into the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50709/26]

We have often discussed the appalling conflict in Sudan - the greatest humanitarian crisis on the planet at this moment in time. Millions of people are displaced and hundreds of thousands have been killed. It is a situation that continues to escalate, particularly now in the Kordofan and Blue Nile states. There is a need to address the humanitarian crisis and to ensure the protection of civilians …

I am glad the Minister of State referenced El-Obeid. The moment in which the world paid most attention to Sudan was at the end of the siege of El Fasher when RSF arrived into that city and literally struck people down in the street with machetes. It was the kind of slaughter that was redolent of what happened in Rwanda. Tens of thousands of people were killed. It is difficult to get a clear sense …

The Minister of State might have seen a very troubling report in The Guardian in recent weeks regarding Nathaniel Raymond, an American human rights investigator from Yale University, who alleged that representatives of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Britain told him there was significant private pressure from the UAE which meant that the UK would not publicly divulge informati…

4. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her views on the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, which is urgently required to prevent the Ebola outbreak spreading further and taking more lives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50710/26]

The Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered incredible humanitarian situations, conflict and atrocities over the course of several decades. Millions of people have been killed in war. Unfortunately, on the back of multiple wars, civil wars and invasions, we are now seeing a deadly Ebola outbreak that is spreading quickly and that is also affecting Rwanda This is all happening against the backdro…

The scale of death and suffering in recent decades in the Congo has been very under-reported. Some estimates suggest that about 6 million people have died since 1998 due to conflict. Conflict in the region has rarely been in abeyance, but it spikes during certain periods. The conflict currently is between the Congolese Government and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group. It is primarily taking place…

That brings me to my next question. In his reply to the previous question on Sudan, the Minister referred Trócaire's connection to Sudan. Is he aware of any Irish aid agencies which, either directly or through sister organisations, have a presence in Congo and whether they are affected by or involved in this in any respect? The violence that is currently happening has displaced hundreds of thousan…

10. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether she is aware of very serious concerns about the fairness of the prosecution and trial of an Irish citizen (details supplied); whether she has raised concerns with the German Government; whether she will send an observer to the trial; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50321/26]

Daniel Tatlow-Devally faces trial in Germany due to allegedly being on the site of a German subsidiary of an Israeli arms manufacture, Elbit Systems, and allegedly damaging property. I raised this issue with the Minister's predecessor. The conditions of the trial and detention are of huge concern, not only to Mr. Tatlow-Devally, but also his co-defendants. He is subject to 23-hour lock-ins, has be…

At the heart of this is an increasing trend, not just in Germany, but in other countries as well, of using legislation initially intended for organised crime to prosecute climate activists and Palestine activists and, in several respects, dampen down political criticism and protests. There is a similar situation in Britain with regard to Palestine Action. When the relevant legislation was introduc…