Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. Our committee had much engagement with his predecessor, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and Department officials regarding Ibrahim Halawa and we are all very glad he is back home in Ireland. We wish him well into the future. We want to record our appreciation for the officials in the consular section of the Department who met us on numerous occasions and briefed us. We had engagement both publically and privately, during which we all expressed our concerns about Ibrahim for so many years. We wish him well in the future.

As the Minister said, there is generally not much interest in Committee Stage debates which are technical matters but I am glad so see we are joined by members of the diplomatic corps. I see the ambassadors of Cyprus and Israel as well as the chargés d'affairesfrom Georgia and Saudi Arabia, and also a representative of the Russian Federation. We are glad that they are here with us, at a technical Committee Stage debate on two important Bills.

I thank the Minister and his officials for their attendance.