Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

My Department has a responsibility to provide travel advice to Irish citizens irrespective of where they are travelling. If somebody wants to travel somewhere, the Department of Foreign Affairs provides a service whereby travel advice is provided as to whether it is safe to travel. I want to make it absolutely clear that the Department's travel advice in respect of the proposed flotilla to Gaza is that it is not safe. We will not encourage Irish citizens to participate in a travel venture where there is a naval blockade and where, as we saw last year, people were killed in that exercise. We have to underline responsibly that it is our view that this is not a safe venture.

In respect of the question of the blockade, the Government's position is very clear. The blockade of Gaza should end. The flow of humanitarian aid, while it should not necessarily be brought in by sea, should be made available by opening up land border access to Gaza to ensure humanitarian aid and goods are enabled to be provided.

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