Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

Deputy Lahart is doing a lot of heavy lifting this evening. I thank him for taking this question and I also thank Deputy 'Chap' Cleere for tabling the question. It is a really important issue and one that Ireland has genuinely tried to shine a spotlight on and has tried to work on in international coalitions for quite a period of time. We have been consistently condemning the deportation and the forcible transfer of children, which amounts in our view to a war crime or a crime against humanity. At the Foreign Affairs Council yesterday, I underlined our condemnation and our support for all efforts to hold Russia accountable for crimes against the Ukrainian people. The deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia or Belarus is part of a co-ordinated effort to erase Ukrainian identity. Let us not forget that. These children face Russian re-education so-called, vilification of their nationality, forced adoption and coercion to accept Russian citizenship. The idea of snatching somebody's child creates such a horror. As I have said previously, it is my firm belief that the forced displacement of many Ukrainian children is morally repugnant and I am sickened by what is happening to Ukrainian children.

On 23 September this year, during the United Nations high level week, the Taoiseach attended an event hosted by Ukraine and Canada, called Restoring Childhood and Humanity: Advancing Peace, where he underlined that the forced removal of children from their homes is one of the most callous and egregious crimes committed by Russia. Ireland is a member of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. We are engaged in discussions on the future work of the coalition and on how it can support efforts to ensure the return of Ukrainian children to their families and communities. The European Council has condemned in the strongest terms Russia’s unlawful deportation and transfer to Russia and to Belarus of Ukrainian children. I also had the opportunity to speak with Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on these issues. As part of its overall response, Ireland has consistently supported strong sanctions against Russia in response to aggression in Ukraine, including a range of measures targeting individuals and entities involved in the forced transfer, deportation and military indoctrination of Ukrainian children. We note that such alleged crimes are the subject of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court. We have raised this issue in all our statements in multilateral forums, in our national capacity and as part of the European Union.

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