Parliamentary questions

55. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers represent value for money for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41522/25]

56. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to detail the procurement processes used when engaging external legal firms and barristers, including whether panels are used; how often these are refreshed; the criteria used for selection and performance review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41540/25]

57. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has conducted any audits or reviews in the past five years on legal fee spend; if so, to publish the findings or summaries of those reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41558/25]

58. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the internal oversight that exists within his Department to monitor the scope, duration, and cost escalation of legal services once engaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41576/25]

59. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department makes use of capped fee arrangements, fixed-fee briefs, success-based fee models or other such arrangements in its legal engagements; if not, the reason such options are not considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41594/25]

60. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the number of such cases and total overrun; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41612/25]

61. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if it will be ensured that the processing of a passport for a person (details supplied) will be processed urgently by his Department, as it is needed for work purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41691/25]

62. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the average waiting time for processing individuals on the foreign births register; and the number of cases currently being processed. [41829/25]

63. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide an update on the progress of legislation to ban trade with the occupied territories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41833/25]

64. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the names of companies currently on the Office of Government Procurement framework for the provision of transferring furniture and other valuable artwork from Irish embassies and consulate general buildings worldwide; and the timeframe for the contract to expire with each such company, in tabular form. [41876/25…

65. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to make changes to the current passport application process for passports that are expired more than five years whereby they are treated as a first-time application and not a renewal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41958/25]

66. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he uses personal emails for his Government business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42108/25]

67. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has any messaging provider downloaded on his ministerial phone; the details of any provider downloaded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42112/25]

68. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the timeframe for the new passport office in Cork to open; if printing facilities will be available in this new office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42176/25]

69. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of four-day turnaround passport applications made through Cork passport office to date in 2025; the number of same-day turnaround passport applications made in the Dublin passport office from the Munster region to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42177/25]

70. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the timeframe for when the new passport design will be in place; the stage the procurement process is at; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42178/25]

71. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the challenge to the UK’s Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 which is before the European Court of Human Rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42179/25]

72. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position on all developments relating to EU-US trade talks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42180/25]

73. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to detail new trade partners and confirm the strengthening of trading partnerships to date in 2025 by his Department to diversify Irish trade opportunities in the context of the continuing threat of US tariffs and trade instability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42181/25]

74. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether his Department will make additional resources available to the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv in order to secure the safe passage of Palestinian students who have been awarded scholarships to study in Ireland in September; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42220/25]

75. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether his Department had any engagement with Israeli counterparts regarding the decision of the Israeli authorities to block the chair, a member and the secretariat of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine from entering Israel on an official mission of the European Parliament in Februa…

76. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in light of the Hague Group meeting in Colombia, which Ireland attended, and the declaration of 12 countries to end all ties with Israel through the use of their legal and administrative systems, if Ireland is considering making such a commitment; if so, the barriers to doing so; and if he will make a statement …

77. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has given approval for the transfer of military weaponry or personnel through Irish airspace, from the period 28 May to date in 2025, to the State of Israel; and if his Department is aware of the use of military aircraft in the above-mentioned operations; and if he will make a statement on the …

78. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has given approval for the transfer of military weaponry or personnel through Irish airspace from the period 28 May to date in 2025; if his Department is aware of the use of military aircraft in the operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42295/25]

79. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action he will take on an EU level to sanction Israel for its ongoing war crimes in Gaza; to push for an end to the blockade of food and humanitarian aid which is waiting at the borders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42303/25]