Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom cás Emma De Souza a thógáil arís. The Leader will be familiar with the case of Emma De Souza whose battle to assert her Irish citizenship rights has gained wide coverage on various media platforms, North and South, not least in The Irish Times, because I have raised it previously. Emma De Souza is an Irish citizen from Magherafelt. She currently lives in Belfast with her husband, Jake. The reason this has become such an issue for them and they have faced such an arduous battle to uphold and protect the most basic of democratic rights is when Emma applied for a permanent residency visa for her husband, the British Home Office told her that in order for her to assert her Irish citizenship, she had to renounce British citizenship because it was presumed that since she was born in the North, she is automatically a British citizen. Emma contests this and says that, under the Good Friday Agreement, her rights as an Irish citizen solely are clear. At three various tribunal hearings in Belfast's High Court, that position was supported and endorsed by judges.

The British Home Office is appealing the decision for a third time. I do not know whether Home Office officials who deal with such visa applications are ignorant of the contents, principles and legislation flowing from the Good Friday Agreement or whether something more sinister is at play. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade should meet Emma to hear her story and they should act as champions not just on her behalf in this case, but on behalf of all those who find themselves in a similar position. The agreement is clear. We are not partial or conditional citizens and we certainly should not be second-class citizens. It would send a positive message in concert and in tune with recent statements from An Taoiseach and his Government colleagues that they will not abandon Irish citizens in the North. That is the right and proper stand to take. Will the Leader relay that message to the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste and ask that they respond to my request to meet Emma as soon as possible?

I refer to the launch of the new Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade dedicated website on Brexit. That is a welcome resource, which I am sure will be utilised extensively given the uncertainty relating to Brexit in the context of the agreement, citizenship rights, the Border, economic and other implications. Given the extensive nature of Brexit's negative implications, I call on the Government to consider a dedicated facility in the North of Ireland that would be rights-based in its service delivery and act as a support for citizens who will be trapped or held hostage in a post-Brexit scenario against their will. To be fair to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, he stated at a recent meeting of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement that he would examine this issue.

The trial of Ahed Tamimi began in an Israeli military court earlier. I have raised her case on a number of occasions. The media has been expelled from the trial and it is being held behind closed doors. A 17 year old child is being tried in a military court for slapping the face of an Israeli soldier who is illegally occupying the town in which she lives. I reiterate my party's support, and, hopefully, the Seanad's support, for Ahed and her family.