Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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150. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide the latest update on the situation regarding an Irish citizen (details supplied) who has been in Egyptian custody since August 2013 and who is still awaiting trial; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12202/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I remain deeply concerned at this individual's continued detention as well as the numerous postponements of his trial.

The trial is due to be heard this coming Sunday, 29 March; officials of the Irish Embassy in Cairo are scheduled to attend the hearing. I and officials in my Department are monitoring all developments closely. This is a difficult case involving a foreign legal system and the judicial processes of another state. However, it remains the Government's view that this individual should not be tried as part of a group trial involving a large number of defendants and on the basis of group charges.

I would like to assure the deputy that officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, both in Dublin and in Cairo, remain in ongoing contact with this individual and his family, and will continue to work actively towards the achievement of a positive outcome to this case while continuing to offer full consular support to this Irish citizen.