Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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13. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [46520/25]

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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14. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [46523/25]

Shay Brennan (Dublin Rathdown, Fianna Fail)
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15. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [46843/25]

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [46857/25]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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17. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [49988/25]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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18. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [50086/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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19. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [50089/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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20. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [50161/25]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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21. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [50478/25]

James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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22. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [51782/25]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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23. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [53071/25]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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24. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on EU and international affairs will next meet.. [53180/25]

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 to 24, inclusive, together.

The programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland's Future, recognises the importance of Cabinet committees to the policy development and oversight work of Government.

The Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs was established by the Government on 15 February 2025. Its role is to oversee implementation of programme for Government commitments in relation to the European Union, including preparation of Ireland's Presidency in the second half of 2026, and international issues.

The Cabinet committee last met on Monday, 16 June when it considered items on the agenda of the meeting of the European Council that took place on 26 June, the situation in the Middle East and the EU's future budget for the period beyond 2027.

As I reported to the House in my statement on 9 July, at its June meeting, the European Council discussed developments in Ukraine; the Middle East, including the humanitarian situation in Gaza; European defence and security; global economic developments; competitiveness; migration; preparedness; and the EU's internal security.

Leaders also exchanged views on EU-US trade relations. The next meeting of the Cabinet committee is scheduled for 16 October when it will discuss items on the agenda of the European Council meeting that will take place on 23 and 24 October. It will also take stock of ongoing preparations for Ireland's Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2026.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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We are seeing an expanding war in Europe now and Russia’s campaign of aggression against Ukraine but also others. We are seeing horrific things. Up to an estimated 20,000 children have now been abducted from Ukraine and taken into Russian territory. We also know about the hybrid and cyber attacks from Russia on member states of the European Union and, indeed, other European countries. We have seen drone attacks and violations of airspace in recent months on Poland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Those counties know that combat aircraft have had to be scrambled. We know Russian vessels are in Irish waters yet, while I have sought it since we resumed after the summer, we have not had a debate in this House around the escalating war in Europe. I welcome from Pat Leahy’s insightful reporting in The Irish Times yesterday about Ireland preparing for potential drone attacks during the EU Presidency.

4 o’clock

We need assurances. When every other parliament in Europe is debating the fact that there is an increased risk of war, we are not debating it in this House.

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Before the summer, I raised with the Taoiseach the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe that is happening in Sudan, the fact that over 150,000 people have been killed and almost 14 million people have been displaced. Ironically, of all the conflicts in the world at the moment, the conflict in Sudan seems to be the one that has the most unanimity among European Union members. Therefore, I would call on the Taoiseach, while welcoming the recent renewal of the sanctions against members of the RSF regime in Sudan at the Council meeting in September, to say what we will be doing to further advocate for the people of Sudan and surrounding countries on the need to bring that conflict to an end, working with the African Union to assert its leadership role in the region and to ensure, in a conflict where the European Union has a united voice, that we can avoid the devastation of the thousands of people being killed and the millions being displaced and the fact that once vibrant cities such as Khartoum are now burnt out shells.

Shay Brennan (Dublin Rathdown, Fianna Fail)
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In recent weeks, we have seen an increase in Russian drone incursions into airspace of several EU member states. These were accompanied by threats to energy and transport infrastructure. Both the European Parliament and the Council have called for a stronger, more co-ordinated EU response including potential joint air defence measures, tougher sanctions and new protocols to address aerial and hybrid threats. Could the Taoiseach outline Ireland's position in these ongoing EU discussions? Specifically, is Ireland advocating for a common European air defence framework for greater intelligence sharing and protection of critical infrastructure or for stronger co-ordinated sanctions? Finally, how does the Government assess our own capacity to respond to hybrid attacks and what forms of EU solidarity or support does it consider most vital in this context?

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Like most of us, I welcome the peace deal between Palestine and Israel. I remain hopeful that we will see positive outcomes from the negotiations.

I commend the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, our MEPs and, indeed, our diplomatic corps who have worked tirelessly to share our mission and how we believe what was occurring in Palestine was genocide.

I am shocked that I am the first person today to raise this. No leaders of the Opposition raised this during Leaders' Questions. Indeed, today, during Taoiseach's questions, I am the first one to raise it.

I ask what the Taoiseach's comment on it is and, indeed, in relation to the aid provided in support to UNRWA, if he has any information on when that will get through to the Palestinian people.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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I, indeed, will be raising it too.

Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Brilliant.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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The Deputy just happened to be the first person.

In relation to Palestine and the ceasefire, I want to ask the Taoiseach, "What now?" What should be the approach of the Government in relation to what has happened?

Obviously, any respite for the people of Gaza and for the children of Gaza from the genocide that they have endured for almost two years is hugely welcome. However, of the people who are in charge of this peace deal, Netanyahu was a war criminal last week. He is a war criminal this week. Donald Trump has funded a genocide for 20 months. There was a ceasefire when Donald Trump came to power. These are the people who are congratulating themselves for ending a genocide that they are responsible for.

Do Palestinian lives matter? Should Palestinian people have a say? I want to ask the Taoiseach about a post he put up on Twitter yesterday. The Taoiseach welcomed the release of the Israeli hostages, as we all do, but he made absolutely no mention of the Palestinian hostages who were released - people who were seen emaciated talking about torture beyond belief. Many of them found out that their families are dead. Some of them are children. An autistic boy was released from captivity yesterday and there are lots of other children still in prison. A lot of people found the Taoiseach's approach quite unbelievable - not one mention. For a state that is meant to support the Palestinian State and the Palestinian people, the Taoiseach only referred to the Israeli hostages, not the thousands of Palestinian hostages. It was quite unbelievable. It speaks to me of an approach that is going to happen where we will all move on now and pretend that Netanyahu was not a war criminal, pretend that Donald Trump is a hero and that the Palestinian people will have no say in their own fate going forward on this peace deal. I wonder what the Taoiseach has to say about that. A lot of people commented on it last night. The Taoiseach still has not put anything else up either.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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I welcome the ceasefire. Any relief for the Palestinian people facing genocide is obviously welcome. I emphasise that a lasting peace will only be built on the basis of justice and there is still definitely no justice for the Palestinian people. My question relates to Government policy in this context.

I am concerned that the various commitments that have been given in the context of pressure of a massive solidarity movement and massive public support for the Palestinian people will now be forgotten or kicked down the road never to happen. First, in relation to the occupied territories Bill, will the Taoiseach give a commitment that it will be passed and implemented before Christmas and will it include trade in goods and services, as the Fine Gael candidate for President has now apparently said she is in favour of?

Second, in relation to the investigation about the overflights, there is an examination ongoing for more than a year of something that is very simple. Is this just going to simply continue and disappear or are we ever going to get to the bottom of that and action to stop it?

Third, I have heard the Taoiseach previously say that no airplanes with military cargo, weapons or soldiers are landing in Shannon Airport on the way to Israel. The Ditch has a story saying that on Sunday Simon Harris authorised a US military plane to refuel at Shannon Airport on its way from a US Department of War air base to the Nevatim Israel Defense Forces base. It was transporting soldiers or military cargo and it stopped over at Shannon Airport. That seems to me to be completely wrong. Was the Taoiseach aware of this? Does the Taoiseach agree with granting authorisation for our airport to be used in that way?

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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Obviously we all welcome the ceasefire and we wait with bated breath but what is important is what is within our capacity here and the commitments that have already been made. My question to the Taoiseach is on the occupied territories Bill. Is the occupied territories Bill going to be implemented in this term of the Dáil, will that include goods and services, and can the Taoiseach comment, as the previous speaker said, on the authorisation by the Tánaiste of the plane that landed to refuel on its way to Israel over the weekend?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank all the Deputies who have raised a variety of questions. Deputy Malcolm Byrne raised an important issue in terms of Russia's aggression against Europe. I attended an event in the United Nations, chaired by Prime Minister Carney and President Zelensky and their respective spouses, in respect of the 20,000 abducted children. Ireland will continue to provide support. I would like to be in a position to support certain research in respect of those children to get them back. It is an appalling crime.

The Deputy referenced the violation of airspace in Estonia, Romania, Poland and other countries, and, most recently, Denmark. This is where all European leaders were gathering at an informal gathering and the European Political Community was gathering. As was said at that meeting, there was one accident, two accidents, but there is a pattern. There is a pattern of behaviour from the Russian Government and President Putin over the last year and a half or more, which is aggressive and poses a risk to European security and defence, particularly vital sub-sea critical infrastructure, and many of our utilities through cyberattacks and hybrid attacks - drones or other type of attacks. The Baltic states, Poland and others have experienced these on their territory. It is very serious. There is no sense in this House at all about how grave the situation is. At best, you could say it is reckless.

It is also happening in the United Kingdom. These hybrid-type attacks are reckless. We need a debate in the Dáil to increase the level of awareness in the House of what actually is happening and what Russia is up to. I repeat that critical subsea infrastructure is at risk from these types of activities. Our utilities are at risk. We had the HSE attack some years ago. We have to improve capability. Deputy Shay Brennan added to this. I will come back to Deputy Shane Moynihan's earlier point.

I believe we have to co-ordinate with fellow member states in Europe to protect against these cyberattacks and to share knowledge and information on where some of the shadow fleet is loitering and where the shadow fleet is turning up. We have to work with like-minded member states in order to make sure that we know what is going on, that others know what is going on and that it is co-ordinated. We will continue to co-ordinate and to work with others to gain knowledge.

Cyberattacks cannot be defended against without working with others. It is about sharing knowledge, expertise and information. This is why we have an individually tailored plan with NATO in terms of the issue of cybersecurity, subsea cables, knowledge, expertise, mentoring and training. It is needed. We need to get over any squeamishness about this in the world we live in today. If people do not believe this stuff, their heads are in the sand in terms of the threats that are out there now. Deputies Malcolm Byrne and Shay Brennan have outlined them in no uncertain terms. This is what I have to say right now. We are taking all of it very seriously. We had a discussion on energy security earlier and there is no question that ships have been loitering. Russia is gathering information all of the time in respect of the critical economic infrastructure that everyone in Europe depends on and the world depends on.

Deputy Shane Moynihan raised the issue of Sudan. He is one of the few Deputies who has raised it. Sudan is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. I spoke with the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, about Sudan. What is very disquieting about Sudan is the behaviour of other countries in the region, which are supporting one side or the other and using both sides as proxies in this war. These are countries that would have a different perspective on Gaza. The two do not match that easily. There is an inconsistency in approach, to say the least. Millions are starving and up to 12 million or 15 million people have been displaced in Sudan. South Sudan is in a challenging position as well. We constantly raise it at European Union forums and at the UN to see what can be done to bring this to a resolution.

On Gaza, Deputy Ó Cearúil is correct. I would pay tribute to President Trump for getting a ceasefire. It should have happened earlier. I thank the Deputy for paying tribute to our diplomatic corps. People wanted us to break diplomatic relations and call back our ambassadors from Israel and other places. Our ambassador in Israel has worked hard under a lot of pressure to represent Ireland and Irish citizens well in Gaza, on the flotilla or wherever. Our ambassador in Israel has been to the fore in providing consular services and doing her best to make sure our people do not come to any harm. Our ambassador in Cairo has been superb throughout this entire period in facilitating people to leave Gaza. Our ambassadors in Jordan and the UAE have all worked together. Do not ever underestimate the importance of diplomatic relationships in terms of doing the basic necessities and being there to keep the channels of communication open. I am glad we did not break off diplomatic relations for this reason, among others.

I also pay tribute to the medics in Gaza. Deputy Martin Daly, who is a doctor, has raised this with me. He suggested to me in writing that they should get the Nobel Peace Prize for what they have done in the most extraordinary of circumstances, under huge threat to their lives. Many did die. The work they did is quite exceptional and should be recalled or acknowledged.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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We are over time now, Taoiseach.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Coppinger has a tendency to distort. There is nothing wrong with saying that young music followers who were abducted for no reason at all-----

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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I did not say there was anything wrong with-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I just want to make the point. Everything gets qualified and has a caveat. I make no apology for saying it is a good day that those hostages were released.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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It is about not saying anything about Palestinian hostages, Taoiseach. That is the question.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I did. I spoke about an end to the slaughter.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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No, that is not-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have been saying this consistently. Check all of my remarks on social media. I am very strong on the genocide against civilians in Gaza and the slaughter of innocent children. Yes, there have been a lot of detainees without any trials or without any evidence. Others who were detained had history. Deputy Coppinger will never condemn Hamas for some reason. I have never heard her condemn Hamas in this room. I have never heard her condemn what Hamas did on 7 October.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Taoiseach to conclude.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Murphy has never condemned Hamas.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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Can we get answers on the occupied territories Bill?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is shocking and it deserves debate. You are attacking me for not having precision in terms of posts I put up.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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No, we are asking questions.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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It is Taoiseach's questions.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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We have now used the time for Taoiseach's questions.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I find it extraordinary that we do not have unanimity in the House in terms of condemnation of Hamas's appalling attack on-----

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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I think you did not want to say anything about the Palestinian hostages, Taoiseach. That is very clear.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I have to ask the Taoiseach to conclude.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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By the way, I have never moved on from Gaza and I do not intend to move on from Gaza. I visited Gaza in 2009 after that war. We have always been consistent as a country. The party I lead was the first party in Europe and in government to recognise the right of Palestinians to a homeland. It matters to our party. Let us not try to out-virtue each other here.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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So will you say something tonight about the Palestinians?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We will say what we feel.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I must ask the Taoiseach to conclude.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We will say it in the context of our informed perspective and our evidence-based approach to these issues.

To respond to Deputy Murphy on the occupied territories Bill, it is in committee. I have always repeatedly said in terms of services that we need to assess that. The Attorney General is coming back to us on a number of fronts - one is implementability, by the way. The feedback I am getting is it is not just implementable but, second, are you putting companies based here in a very difficult position through no fault of their own in respect of how that would be treated in the United States? These are ongoing matters and we are waiting for reports back. I will have to talk to the Tánaiste in respect of one specific-----

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Taoiseach, we have gone way over time.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I apologise.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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We have to move on to the next business. We cannot go into Questions Nos. 25 to 35, inclusive, because the time has lapsed.