Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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46. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on representations made by his Department following the recent postponement of the trial of a person (details supplied) in Egypt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3259/17]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I was part of an all-party delegation to Egypt to visit Irish citizen, Ibrahim Halawa, who has been in prison for almost three and a half years. His message to us, which was heard loud and clear, is that he wants to go home. We conveyed that strongly to the Egyptian authorities, the Egyptian President and the various Ministers and parliamentarians we met. Considering we had the 18th adjournment of the trial last Tuesday, what actions are the Government taking to follow up on that to ensure he gets to come home?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I repeat to the House, as I have on a number of occasions over the past two years, that this consular case continues to be a top priority for the Government and substantial resources and time are being devoted to it not only be me but by the Taoiseach, officials in my Department and the Taoiseach's Department, by our ambassador and his team in Cairo and by the entire diplomatic network. The Government is doing everything it possibly can to ensure the Egyptian authorities are in no doubt about our determination to see this young man returned to his home and family at an early opportunity.

I acknowledge what the Deputy has said regarding the recent visit by Members of this House to Cairo. I express my appreciation to the Ceann Comhairle and all the members of the cross-party delegation who went to Cairo recently to meet this citizen to hear his story at first hand and press the case for his return to Ireland with the Egyptian authorities at the highest level. These messages have been clearly and repeatedly conveyed by the Government. It is very useful that the Egyptian authorities are clear on the fact that there is absolute unanimity across Dáil Éireann on this important issue.

The Taoiseach has spoken directly and personally with Egyptian President el-Sisi on numerous occasions calling on him to exercise his powers under Egyptian law to resolve this case and return Ibrahim Halawa to Ireland. He has done so in face-to-face meetings on two occasions and also by telephone and letter. The Taoiseach most recently wrote to President el-Sisi about the case before Christmas. For my part, I have engaged continually on this case with my Egyptian counterpart, Foreign Minister Shoukry, and I once again raised this case with him when I met him in Paris at the Middle East peace conference on Sunday, 15 January.

The trial, in which our citizen is a defendant along with more than 400 others. was back in court for a further hearing on 17 January. The hearing saw witnesses called and cross-examined for the first time since the trial began. This may be an indication that the trial has now at last moved into a substantive phase and that a conclusion may finally be in prospect. I assure the Deputy and the House of my continued engagement and I acknowledge the importance of the parliamentary delegation.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I add my thanks to the embassy and all those involved in organising the trip of the delegation and those who took part in it. What we heard from Ibrahim about the conditions he faces was harrowing. He is in a maximum security prison, which is supposedly only for those who have been convicted of serious offences. He has not been convicted of anything; he is effectively being interned. He shares a cell with nine others, he has no privacy and he is touching other people when he is sleeping. There is one toilet in the cell. It is horrific for a young man to have to go through. The fact he is bearing up so well is a testament to him. It is the same kind of character shown by his sisters in their campaigning work.

To be really concrete in terms of things the Government can do, has there been follow-up on the question of a heart echo for Ibrahim? Second, what progress has been made in getting the EEAS to monitor the trial? Third, has there been any response by President el-Sisi to the Taoiseach's letter at Christmas?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I will again make it clear that the Egyptian Government is in absolutely no doubt about the position of the Irish Government. The Taoiseach has made our views absolutely clear and it was interesting that the response of President el-Sisi to members of the delegation was the same response that was received by the Taoiseach following his intercession and contact with President el-Sisi. That point has been made perfectly clear by the Egyptians.

I acknowledged the importance of the Ceann Comhairle's delegation and I look forward to receiving a formal report. I know there are a number of issues raised in the report because I have had the opportunity to speak to a number of members of the delegation since their return. I assure the Deputy that on receipt of that report from the Ceann Comhairle I will be very anxious to see what way the Irish Government can continue to assist. The next trial date is 14 February. I have been speaking in recent weeks directly to my counterpart, Foreign Minister Shoukry, with regard to European involvement. I have raised the issue on a number of occasions with the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, who has made representations on behalf of the European Union, and I have engaged directly with the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the European Parliament. I have also raised the issue bilaterally in the context of my meetings with other foreign affairs Ministers in cases where I have felt their engagement might be helpful in the circumstances. I would be happy, having regard to the importance of the delegation, to keep the House fully informed of developments.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Time has elapsed so I have to move on to the next question. The six and a half minutes have elapsed.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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Is one not supposed to get time to respond?

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy got one supplementary and the time is up.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I did not use the time. I appreciated getting the answer from the Minister. I am not complaining about that. I got a question and a supplementary.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy got three questions in the one supplementary question.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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I did not.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy asked three questions in the supplementary question.