Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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35. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 33 of 15 January 2014, if his Department and-or the consul general made any attempt to have the host nation acknowledge the person's second citizenship and therefore enable this State to provide consular assistance to the fullest extent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3022/14]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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As was indicated on 15th January in my reply to Parliamentary Question Nos. 33 and 78, my Department is providing consular assistance to this person and will continue to provide all possible consular assistance. My Department does not have an automatic entitlement to provide consular assistance to the person referred to by the Deputy given that he is an American citizen being tried in a US court. In cases involving dual nationality, it is at the discretion of the host nation whether to acknowledge a person's second citizenship and to afford that country's diplomatic service access to provide consular assistance.

Once the person became an Irish citizen, in September 2013, my Department notified the State Attorney's Office in Dade City, Florida of our interest in the case as the person in question is also an Irish citizen and requested permission to provide consular assistance in this case. The authorities in Florida were amenable to this request. My Department has been providing consular assistance since that time and will continue to provide all possible consular assistance.