Questions

55. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will consider opening an Irish Embassy in Peru. [55803/26]

56. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number and proportion of staff who have completed AI-related training programmes since January 2024; the levels of training, introductory or advanced use; to confirm the associated expenditure on each level of training provided, by her Department and public body; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55874/26]

57. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the Government will actively use the EU Council Presidency to coordinate EU wide action on enforcement of the Paris Protocol, which governs economic relations between Palestine and Israel, and strengthen Palestinian economic sovereignty. [56052/26]

58. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline Ireland's trading relationship with Kuwait; and the steps being taken to improve this relationship. [56284/26]

59. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the cases in which Ireland has been found by the Court of Justice of the European Union to have failed to comply with European Union law since 2010; the cases in which financial penalties were imposed on the State; the current number of open infringement proceedings against Ireland, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the …

60. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of persons that applied to become Ireland's new Honorary Consul based in North Carolina; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56474/26]

61. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of full time drivers posts allocated to the Irish embassies in Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo in 2025 and to-date in 2026, in tabular form. [56495/26]

62. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is she aware of the campaign by descendants and relatives of prisoners of war, including Irish men, on the Japanese transit vessel, the Suez Maru, for an apology from the British Government for the cover-up of and failure to prosecute those involved; if she has engaged or will engage with the British Government to seek such an apology; and …

63. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of WTE quantity surveyors and senior quantity surveyors that are employed by her Department as of 16 July 2026, in tabular form. [56582/26]

64. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the dates to date in 2026 where the Irish Ambassador based in Athens has met formally with the Mayor Athens, in tabular form. [56583/26]

65. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the Passport Office will consider a passport application of a newborn baby who is breastfeeding if an emergency application is submitted should the mother need to travel for a family emergency or medical procedure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56786/26]

67. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of publicly owned buildings that were vacant on the latest date available, broken down by purpose and/or last previous use; the length of time each property has been vacant; the reason for vacancy in each case; the amount spent to maintain the property since it was first left vacant in each of the years 2020 to date, in tabular form; and i…

68. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the Departments plans to expand Ireland's diplomatic presence across South Africa. [56922/26]

69. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will include trade in the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026 as a means of sanctioning Israel for the suffering and slaughter inflicted on the Palestinian people by the Government and army of Israel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56981/26]

70. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the correspondence her Department has issued and / or received from a company (details supplied) regarding the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026 and the impact that its enactment would have on the Irish economy; the date this correspondence was issued or received, in tabular form…

71. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the details of correspondence her Department has issued or received from a company (details supplied) regarding the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026 and the impact that its enactment would have on the Irish economy; the date this correspondence was issued or received, in tabular…

72. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total value of non-compliant public procurement identified within her Department and in bodies under the aegis of her Department in 2025 and to date in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57207/26]

73. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the usage of artificial intelligence within her Department; the categories of usage; the usage of artificial intelligence within any bodies under the aegis of her Department; the categories of usage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57225/26]

74. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will scrap the requirement for a widowed parent to provide a signed affidavit each time they renew a child’s passport, and instead make this a requirement for the first application only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57491/26]

75. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when she last spoke formally with the Irish Ambassador to Thailand; the topics discussed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57563/26]

76. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if assistance can be provided for an individual (details supplied) in accessing an appointment with the Ukrainian Embassy regarding passport renewal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57815/26]

77. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline the State’s position on the sovereignty and status of Western Sahara; the engagements undertaken by the Department with representatives of the Polisario Front during the past five years; Ireland’s participation in United Nations and European Union efforts to support the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination; and if …

78. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline the Government’s position on the United States embargo against Cuba; the representations made by Ireland through the European Union, the United Nations and in bilateral engagements regarding the embargo during the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58136/26]

79. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the documentation and procedures that will apply to Irish intended parents seeking to return to the State with a child born through surrogacy in Canada in December 2026, where Irish legal parentage has not yet been determined in respect of both intended parents; whether the Passport Service will provide advance case management to families in this…

80. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to expedite a passport application in respect of a person (details supplied) who originally applied on 1 February 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58228/26]