Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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15. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his planned visits abroad in the next six months. [51723/17]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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16. To ask the Taoiseach the foreign visits he plans to undertake to the end of June 2018. [52879/17]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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17. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on discussions he has had with President Trump. [52958/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 17, inclusive, together. I can, at this stage, outline my plans for a number of visits abroad, relating both to EU and non-EU business. As the House is aware, I will travel to Brussels for a meeting of the European Council on Thursday and Friday. Further European Council meetings are scheduled for March and June 2018. I plan to travel to Lebanon later this month to visit members of the Defence Forces serving in the UNIFIL mission. My visit will provide an opportunity to restate the Government's support for this important mission and to recognise the important contribution of Ireland's Defence Forces personnel to peacekeeping and other missions. Of course, Christmas is a particularly poignant time for the members of the Defence Forces serving overseas and for their families here at home. The dedication shown by our Defence Forces personnel in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions overseas is, of course, a year-round commitment and one that they can be immensely proud of.

In January, I intend to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The forum is an excellent opportunity to engage with key influencers and leaders on important policy challenges for the international community and to support the efforts of IDA Ireland to promote Ireland as a location for investment with corporate decision-makers. In March, I plan to visit Washington DC for the traditional St. Patrick's Day celebrations and to meet with President Trump. I have not spoken with President Trump since our phone call on 27 June, when the President invited me to meet him and to attend the traditional St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the White House. I very much look forward to this visit, which is a unique opportunity to advance Ireland's interests with a country with which we have such deep connections and important common interests.

Next June, I plan to attend a meeting of the British-Irish Council in Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Other arrangements, including meetings with European partners, are being prepared and I will continue to be guided by our ongoing assessment of strategic priorities. I will, of course, keep the House informed as appropriate.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Are there any pertinent questions?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I always try to be pertinent. The Taoiseach's scheduled visit to the Ivory Coast to take part in the EU-Africa summit obviously had to be cancelled. Africa is an increasingly important continent but there is no scheduled trip there among the array of trips listed by the Taoiseach. Is it his intention to visit Africa in the next six months to 12 months?

With regard to the ambitious plans to double our diplomatic representation across the globe, I am aware that a new embassy in New Zealand was announced when the President visited that country. In what other countries where we do not currently have full diplomatic missions does the Taoiseach intend to establish diplomatic missions in the coming year or two?

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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With regard to the Taoiseach's forthcoming visit to the United States, does he have any news on the commitment by President Trump to appoint a special envoy to the North?

Recently, Irish-American groups in the USA have reported that many undocumented Irish have seen an increase in the incidence of undocumented people being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. There is also concern about the decision by President Trump to end the protections for undocumented children. His decision to shut down the deferred action for childhood arrivals, DACA, programme has been widely criticised. The children of Irish citizens are among those children. Has the Government raised this issue with the US Embassy here and with the White House? Can the Taoiseach indicate if he expects there will be a US ambassador to Ireland before he visits the US in March?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I asked my question earlier, but the Taoiseach ran out of time. In light of Amnesty International's damning report which explicitly states that European governments are colluding with slavery, torture, systematic abuse and physical and sexual violence against 20,000 Libyan immigrants, will the Taoiseach look into this matter? Does he think he might visit Libya and see the horrific detention centres and the treatment of the desperate people who are being enslaved and abused on an ongoing and systematic basis?

Donald Trump has now explicitly endorsed something that flouts international law. Is there any crime he can commit against international law that will finally provoke the Taoiseach to move beyond stating that our friendship with the United States goes beyond any single US President? Mr. Trump has flouted international law and declared war on the people of Palestine, inflaming conflict across the Middle East. Will the Taoiseach express anything more than concern about Mr. Trump's behaviour?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In the context of our diplomatic reach, I considered it a big mistake to close the embassy in Tehran. It is a significant economic zone. I refused such a proposal when I was Minister. For economic and other reasons, including political, it is an important area. That embassy should be opened-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Absolutely.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----to facilitate Irish engagement and Irish business.

As regards the United States, there are issues in respect of migrant protection. Comprehensive immigration reform is as far away as ever because of American domestic politics. Given the actions of President Trump in terms of the atmosphere and curbing some of the more liberal policies of President Obama in respect of states and cities that protected migrants and their families, has the Taoiseach made any representations to the US Government on the status of the undocumented Irish and their families in the United States in the context of the move away from the previous position under President Obama? Also, has he made any representations regarding President Trump's continuing to call out Ireland as being a type of tax outlier in terms of the United States and his identification of Ireland as a problem country, notwithstanding the obligations of the United States under international trade and competition rules?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I was very disappointed to have to cancel my plan to visit the mission in Mali and attend the EU-Africa summit in Côte d'Ivoire. I certainly would like to visit Africa but there are only so many days in the year and, obviously, I have responsibilities in the Oireachtas, Government Buildings, in all parts of Ireland and in Europe. They must take precedence over intercontinental travel. I am not sure if it will be possible to pay a visit to Africa next year.

The new missions to be established in 2018 are an embassy in New Zealand, embassies in Bogotá in Colombia and Santiago de Chile, a new Ireland House in Mumbai and a new consulate in Vancouver to cover western Canada. By March 2018, in advance of St. Patrick's Day, we should be able to indicate where the new missions for 2019 will be located. I will take into consideration Deputy Micheál Martin's suggestion of Tehran, the capital of Iran, which is an important economic and political power in that region. However, it is not just about new missions. We are also beefing up existing missions, which is of equal importance because many of our missions consist of just one person or two people.

I do not have any new information on the US envoy to Northern Ireland. Our priority is the appointment of an ambassador to Ireland. I met the acting ambassador in the last couple of weeks to discuss a number of issues, including tax policy and undocumented Irish citizens in the United States. Of course, I mentioned President Trump's incorrect assertion that we are reducing our corporation profit tax to 8%. We are not. There has been an increase in the number of arrests of undocumented Irish citizens living in the US, but I am informed by the US authorities that many or most of them have convictions, criminal convictions in many cases, not related to immigration. I have appointed Deputy Deasy to work specifically on the undocumented Irish. He has been travelling back and forth to Washington in the past couple of months to see if we can put something together that would assist our citizens in the US.

I do not have any plans to visit Libya.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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There is no concern for the Libyans. I asked twice and there is nothing.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There absolutely is concern.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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There is no comment on the horrific treatment. It is unbelievable.