Parliamentary questions

253. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the salary scale that applies to the Secretary General in her Department and to the head of each agency for which they are responsible; whether this scale has changed in the past two years or whether there are proposals to change this scale in the coming period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75196/25]

254. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the amount expended on advertising and promotion in her Department, and within each agency for which she is responsible, for 2022 to 2024, by year and budgeted for 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75214/25]

255. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of press, media or communications staff currently employed in her Department and within each agency for which she is responsible; the cost of these staff for 2025 and the expected cost for 2026; whether there are proposals to increase the number of such staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75232/…

256. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the estimated cost to her Department and to each agency for which they are responsible arising from Ireland’s presidency of the European Council; the line items or events for which a cost is expected to arise and the estimated cost for each; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75250/25]

257. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the priorities of her Department and each agency for which they are responsible for, in respect of Ireland’s presidency of the European Council; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75268/25]

258. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the timeframe for the introduction of the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1068/26]

259. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total amount of Exchequer funding allocated by her Department in each of the past three years to international development and humanitarian assistance programmes; and to provide a breakdown of this funding by programme. [1096/26]

260. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the proportion of funding allocated under international development and humanitarian assistance programmes administered by her Department in each of the past three years that was expended on administration, management, consultancy, monitoring, and other overhead costs; and the proportion that was delivered directly to frontli…

261. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way in which her Department defines “frontline delivery” for the purposes of reporting and evaluation; whether staff salaries, travel, accommodation, and central office costs are classified as frontline expenditure; and the rationale for those classifications. [1098/26]

262. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the value-for-money assessments carried out prior to the approval of funding under international development and humanitarian assistance programmes; if her Department operates benchmarks or thresholds in respect of acceptable administrative and overhead cost ratios; and to provide details of any programmes that exceeded such …

263. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade what mechanisms are in place within her Department to assess whether funded international development and humanitarian assistance programmes address the underlying causes they are intended to tackle rather than indirect or short-term outputs; the metrics used to measure effectiveness; and the findings of the most recent evalu…

264. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is she is aware that the new Irish passport card has been refused at airports in Europe (details supplied). [1167/26]

265. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her views on the recognition of Somaliland as an independent state. [1275/26]

266. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will consider the establishment of a trade office in Taipei, along the lines of the existing EU office or those of other EU member states; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1315/26]

267. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the amount the Government has spent on initiatives to encourage the diaspora to return home in each of the years 2023, 2024, and 2025; the budget initiatives for 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1325/26]

268. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a list of the initiatives used to encourage the diaspora to return home; the number of the diaspora who returned home, in each of the years 2023 to 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1326/26]

269. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps she will take to inspect US military aircraft landing in Ireland to verify the veracity of their manifest; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1333/26]

270. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of US military aircraft that landed in Ireland in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1334/26]

271. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of US military aircraft, that have landed in Ireland 2023, 2024 and 2025, that have been inspected in any way by her Department, or any Irish official; if she will give details of any such inspection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1336/26]

272. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps she will take to prevent ships using Irish waters, including the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone, for transit, en route to Russian ports in breach of international sanctions against Russia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1337/26]

273. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if an emergency meeting of both the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly will be called so that a ceasefire and a plan for cooperation can be put in place without delay for the people and nation of Venezuela; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1376/26]

274. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to confirm if US Navy aircraft flew over Irish sovereign airspace this year; if it is still Irish policy that foreign military aircraft are not permitted to use Irish airspace while on active military operations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1436/26]

275. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether the overflight of Ireland by a US military P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft on an active military operation on 5 January 2026 was given permission by her Department for the overflight; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1480/26]

276. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in relation to a US military aircraft, which is reported to have flown through Irish airspace (details supplied), whether permission was granted by Irish authorities for this; if so, on what basis; if not granted the actions taken as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1587/26]

277. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions she will take to raise the ongoing intervention in Venezuela by the United States at EU Council level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1672/26]