Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

First, I appreciate the Deputy's acknowledgement that Ireland is the first country that is doing it. That, in and of itself, is interesting, in that there is not another country in the European Union that has published any draft legislation on that. Now, weeks on from when we published our legislation, with goods or services, they have not produced any legislation. That is interesting in and of itself. However, the Government has an obligation to our citizens to tease through the consequences of all legislation. That does not mean the Government or the Oireachtas changes its mind, but we are meant to vote on matters with our eyes wide open. We are meant to be aware of how our legislation will be viewed and the legality of it. That is an important part of the work of my Department in engaging with interlocutors abroad. It does not change our position. We have a vastly different view from the United States of America and particularly the current Administration in relation to the ICJ and the genocide in Gaza. All of that is true. We are progressing with this legislation.

However, the question was clearly asking me whether my Department had had engagement with or diplomatic representation with US counterparts around the exclusion of services. The answer is "No", not specifically around the exclusion of services. As for whether it had engagement on the previous Bill, if I can call it that, the 2018 Bill, it did, and it will have engagement with the current Bill. That is the case not just with the United States but also with many European countries in the hope that it might inspire them to legislate too.

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