Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for putting this on the agenda. It is important we keep pressing the Egyptian authorities. I am glad the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, met with his counterpart and pushed the case. We are disappointed that the bail hearing was not successful and was am wondering if there is an opportunity for another bail application to be made in light of the fact that he is facing more minor charges than some of the 426 people in this mass trial.

There is a lot of information and misinformation about what happened in the cases of other nationals. Pushing for bail for Mr. Halawa and asking that he be allowed to leave the prison, as his sisters were, is not too much to ask of the Egyptian authorities, particularly in light of the fact that he is not facing the more serious charges regarding the storming of the police station, which is going to carry a far more serious penalty for those involved.