Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [22204/25]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [13747/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [25525/25]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [25532/25]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [26753/25]

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [26754/25]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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7. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [26853/25]

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [27213/25]

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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9. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [27216/25]

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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10. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [27217/25]

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together.

As part of my St. Patrick’s Day programme in the United States, I visited Austin and Washington DC. My programme in Washington included political, community and economic events. I was hosted at breakfast by the vice president and second lady and had a bilateral meeting with President Trump in the aftermath to celebrate the historic relationship between Ireland and the United States. I also participated in the ceremony and reception at which a bowl of shamrock is presented to the president.

My meeting with the president included discussions on strengthening our bilateral relations, including our strong economic relationship. We spoke about the depth of our historic partnership and our strong people-to-people links built on deep ancestral ties. I emphasised the two-way nature of the trade and investment links between Ireland and the US, pointing to the fact that there are 770 Irish companies in the US, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across every state. I also highlighted that Ireland is the sixth largest source of foreign investment in the United States, which is remarkable for a country of our size. I underlined Ireland’s wish to explore how we can further strengthen this relationship, including in areas such as cutting-edge technology.

I also updated the president on the current situation in Northern Ireland. I expressed appreciation for the continued role of the United State in supporting the peace process across our island. Northern Ireland is stable and we are investing heavily, both economically and politically, into strengthening our North-South relations. We also discussed global issues, including Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and, of course, the horrific situation in the Middle East. I welcomed the president’s commitment to bringing peace to Ukraine in his first days in office. I also reiterated the long-standing Irish support for a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Other political engagements included the speaker’s lunch on Capitol Hill, meetings with Speaker Johnson and the Congressional Friends of Ireland caucus, which includes members from both the Republican and Democratic parties. I presented President Trump with a crystal bowl of shamrock at the annual St. Patrick’s Day reception in the White House, continuing a decades-long tradition symbolising the friendship between our two countries. I also invited the president to visit Ireland again, noting the success of his investment in the village of Doonbeg.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I thank the Taoiseach. I call Deputy Ó Murchú. Deputies should bear in mind that we have nine speakers.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Go raibh maith agat, a Thaoisigh. I imagine we have a very strained relationship at this point with the American Administration, and the European Union in particular does. While everyone welcomes the fact that the 50% tariff imposition is being put back until 9 July, supposedly after a really nice phone call - it must have been one hell of a phone call - what level of engagement has there been and will be? What is the plan for dealing with this? I get that we do not completely know. In some cases, President Trump threatens things and then walks back from them. However, 50% tariffs would sink the global economy and would be helpful to nobody, including the United States of America. President Trump, with his Overton window as regards the riviera in Gaza and the freedom zones, has changed the narrative and has facilitated and allowed Israel to do what is doing at the minute. The Taoiseach spoke earlier about the EU-Israel association agreement. What engagement has there been? What does the Taoiseach think are the chances of having a proper review and dealing with that? That is what is required as regards Israel and the genocide it is carrying out at the moment.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I thank the Taoiseach for the report on the engagement with the US President and, indeed, on the issue of Gaza. I note that he raise that with the US President. The Palestinian ambassador and Palestinian representatives specifically asked that Ireland would use all diplomatic means at its disposal, including our connection with the US, to raise the need for peace and for a ceasefire for the people of Gaza and an end to Israel's genocide, so I hope that was part of that conversation.

The Taoiseach also mentioned the very concerning prospect of tariffs and the increased volatility of the Trump Administration's approach with the announcement just last week by President Trump that he would impose 50% tariffs from 1 June and then saying that would be postponed to 9 July. We in Labour have argued for many years now in the face of this sort of volatility, and it is particularly important now, that a sophisticated job retention scheme should be developed in the form of a short-time work support scheme for employers here where there is this level of volatility and uncertainty around tariffs.

Finally, has the Taoiseach been briefed on the use of Shannon Airport by civil contractors for the US Government deporting people to South Sudan in breach of US migration law?

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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I wish to pay condolences to Dr. Ali al-Najjar who works in Sligo University Hospital. On Friday, his sister-in-law, Alaa, a paediatrician in Khan Younis, said goodbye to her husband Hamdi and their ten children before she went to work to care for injured babies who barely survived Israeli attacks. However, after Israeli air strikes a few hours later, seven of her children's charred bodies came to her hospital, while two could not be found under the rubble. Only one of her ten children survived along with her husband who is now missing an arm, has brain damage and has serious shrapnel wounds in his chest. Nine children under ten years of age, all murdered by Israel while their mother worked to save the lives of other children. How does a family possibly recover from that? This is a genocide made in America, armed, funded and supported by President Trump and President Biden before him. We need action on top of words now from the Government. We need the occupied territories Bill for goods and services, we need to stop the overflights and we need to ban Israeli bonds.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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The US President and regime are facilitating the carnage that is happening in Gaza. They facilitated it by opening up the prospect of Gaza becoming a tourist place but its Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is also facilitating the starvation of people. Food distribution is being used to kettle Palestinians when they gather at a food place. The director of that operation has resigned. This is US-led. The latest is that a school in Gaza has been bombed. At least 35 children have been killed in an air strike and another 15 have been killed in a separate one. We need action. We need the Government to break away from the EU or whatever other countries with which it is trying to join forces. We need action today on behalf of the Palestinian people. We cannot wait for a review of the EU-Israel agreement. The Government should stop all trade with Israel, freeze the assets of Israeli businesspeople, implement travel bans and do to Israel what it did to Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh ráiteas an Taoisigh gur ardaigh sé an t-uafás atá ag tarlú i nGaza agus an cogadh san Úcráin leis an Uachtarán Trump agus gur chuir sé teachtaireacht na hÉireann in iúl go soiléir dó. I am also encouraged by the fact that the Taoiseach raised the US Administration's interest in Northern Ireland with the president. I would like to hear more from the Taoiseach about how his administration is actively engaging not only with the Northern Ireland Executive but, indeed, wider Northern Ireland society in terms of economic and social development.

I am also interested in the Taoiseach's interaction with congressional leaders in the Capitol. He attended a number of events that were attended by members of the United States House of Representatives and the Senate, not least because Congress will play a very significant role in any future trade arrangements that are put in place with other countries, including the European Union. I would like to get a sense from the Taoiseach of the sentiment there towards the importance of making sure we have a strong transatlantic trading relationship in light of the discussions that have taken place between President Trump and President von der Leyen this week alone.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I strongly agree with the importance of maintaining our friendship with the United States and that our engagements with Congress must be conducted on a bipartisan basis, notwithstanding the concerns we have about the Trump Administration. I am particularly concerned about recent decisions by President Trump to deny access to international students to Harvard University. I hope that in the plans of the further and higher education Minister, Deputy Lawless, to extend opportunities to international students to come to Ireland, we might specifically look at some of those with the potential of travelling to Harvard and invite them to Ireland.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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We all welcome the postponement of the 50% tariffs from 1 June to 9 July by the US. What are the Government's plans to accelerate talks and avoid escalation of the transatlantic trade war? I appreciate that it is an EU competency but how does the Government plan to feed into that?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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In response to Deputy Ó Murchú, at the time of the visit in March, the primary objective of the Government and myself was to protect the Irish economy and jobs in respect of any tariff impositions on European Union goods, in particular Irish goods, from whatever sector. Therefore, we used the opportunity to emphasise the very substantial investment by Irish companies in the United States. We mentioned the substantial positioning of Irish companies in the US and the huge investment flows from Ireland, as well as reciprocal investment by US companies historically in Ireland.

It is a very robust and important relationship. That bilateral relationship continues to be important. We will engage with the US Administration bilaterally. Critically, as has been said by Deputy Ó Cearúil and others, the European Union will engage in trade talks and tariff talks with the US. There has been engagement to date but it has not moved into the latter phase of intense negotiations. One would hope after the exchange and phone call of the past week that this will now settle into a serious negotiation that will avoid any of the harm the imposition of tariffs could have on consumers, citizens and the respective economies of Europe and the US. We do not want tariffs. We believe they would be very injurious to our economy and the European and American economies. Ultimately, given the strength of the relationship between Europe and the US, it would damage the world economy.

With regard to Deputy Bacik's question, we have to wait and see where tariffs land. We cannot commit public funding in the dark or indicate that we will write a blank cheque without understanding what we are trying to solve and fix it in the first instance. Obviously, a lot depends on what emerges from this in terms of the level of tariffs, if there are to be tariffs, and whether they will apply to all sectors and so forth. Whatever we do has to be fiscally as well as economically sustainable in the longer term.

In respect of Gaza and the Middle East, the discussion on the Northern Ireland peace process was such that the president drew parallels between the intensity and ferocity of the violence in Northern Ireland and the horrific bombings that killed so many innocent people, including civilians and what was then happening in the Middle East. What is happening in the Middle East has been going on for a prolonged period but the point is that we said the peace process in Northern Ireland is a potential model to be used in the Middle East and you can deconflictualise a society and create pathways to peace. A two-state solution is, in our view, the optimal way forward, notwithstanding the policies of the Netanyahu government.

Deputy Murphy raised the issue of Shannon Airport being use for deportation. Again, the Minister for Foreign Affairs is investigating that, along with the Minister for Transport. There are basic frameworks and international agreements around the landing of planes for civilian purposes. This is an issue we will enquire into further. It is not immediately clear from the international framework agreements on this issue how one can address it. We will examine it further and come back to the Deputy.

I join with him in expressing sympathy to Dr. al-Najjar on the loss of nine of his sister-in-law's children. The slaughter of children will come to define Israel's inhumanity to fellow human beings, in this case of Palestinians in Gaza. It is beyond any moral comprehension that such indiscriminate bombing, which is killing thousands of children and innocent civilians and destroys families, can take place. The US has significant power and influence over Israel. Some countries in the European Union have been supporters of the state of Israel for historic reasons, Germany being one, although I note the remarks of the German Chancellor yesterday in respect of the behaviour of the Israeli Government.

This Government is not just about fine words. We have taken very practical steps, insofar as we can and in the areas where we can. Contrary to what Deputy Coppinger said, I would not withdraw from the EU. I would try to do more in the EU to bring more people along to the proper course of actions that need to be taken.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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It will be too late.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We are not going to change a whole lot on our own, to be brutally honest about it.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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We are big traders with Israel.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Within the European Union, we can change. We were effective on UNRWA, for example. When there was a big move on to take funding away from UNRWA, we intervened, doubled down and increased our funding significantly. We said at the Foreign Affairs Council that other countries should not go along with the herd and withdraw their funding. There have been changes in the response of the European Union to the funding of UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority. The European Union remains the biggest donor in the world to the Palestinian Authority at the moment. We cannot forget that.

It is very challenging and frustrating because we have a very clear view but not everybody looks at it through the prism that we do. Bringing other countries with us is a huge journey in respect of this horrific war and event. We also work with the United Nations. We have been very active - not words - in the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice on a number of fronts. We have been active on the genocide convention in terms of a very well composed legal argument around the criteria for judging a genocide. We invited the court to consider access to humanitarian aid, conduits to humanitarian aid, intention and so on. Those are actions. I know Deputies on the other side of the House are anxious to say these are fine words but there is no action. These are sustained and pragmatic actions that are within our power and that do and can have an impact. We will continue to do that on a number of issues. The recognition of the Palestinian state was an act, not just fine words, which provoked a significant response and opposition from the Israeli Government and others who support it.

Aontaím leis an méid a dúirt an Teachta Ó Muineacháin faoi Gaza, agus an brú filleadh atá ar chosmhuintir Gaza de dheasca an chogaidh uafásaigh atá ann faoi láthair. I gcomhthéacs Tuaisceart na hÉireann, bhí cainteanna suimiúla againn leis an Uachtarán Trump, go háirithe faoin slí ina rabhamar in ann próiseas síochána a chur i bhfeidhm. Deputy Moynihan referred to trade issues. The fundamental issue of the interconnection of supply chains between the US and European Union was discussed. This is not a simple matter. Modern supply chains are very complex. A barrier cannot simply be put up because that can affect the manufacture of goods, the raw materials that are imported to enable companies to produce products and so on. The legacy Act was another issue we discussed with congressional leaders, as well as trade and Northern Ireland.

Deputy Malcolm Byrne referred to recent decisions in respect of Harvard. It is surprising the degree to which education has been targeted, in particular higher education. The initiative announced by the Minister, Deputy Lawless, to attract international scholars and research from the US to Ireland is good. In the past we have attracted some significant scholars and research teams to Ireland. They, in turn, produce products and ideas that feed into industry and help to create jobs in our economy.

Deputy Ó Cearúil raised a number of issues. I have discussed the tariff and trade issues. I hope that with serious negotiation we can get a deal that will benefit European consumers and citizens as well as consumers in the United States.