Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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468. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has updated its advice for Irish visitors to some regions in Egypt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39606/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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It was with great shock and sadness that I learned of the air disaster over the Sinai Peninsula on 31 October, which resulted in the tragic loss of so many lives. On behalf of the people and the Government of Ireland, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to all Russian people during this difficult time.

Travel advice for individual countries worldwide, including the level of caution recommended, is publicly available to individuals and travel companies on my Department’s website at: and also on our official twitter account @dfatravel.

This advice is made available to assist Irish citizens in making well-informed decisions when planning their trips and when travelling. To ensure that the information provided is up-to-date and reliable, travel advice is regularly reviewed and revised as appropriate. My Department closely monitors international developments, primarily through our network of Embassies, and also through close consultation with our EU and other international partners.

The Department also operates a citizen registration facility at . This facility allows Irish citizens to register their contact details with the Department so that they are easily contactable in the event of an emergency. We strongly encourage all travelers to register, and especially so when they are travelling to remote or insecure locations.

Based on a direction issued by the Irish Aviation Authority on 4 November 2015, my Department promptly amended its travel advice for citizens intending to travel to or from Sharm el-Sheikh to the following:

“Any Irish citizen scheduled to travel to or already in Sharm El Sheikh should contact their tour operator or airline for further information. Citizens should note the direction issued by the Irish Aviation Authority on 5 November to Irish airline operators not to operate to/from Sharm el-Sheikh airport or in the Egyptian Sinai peninsula airspace until further notice. Citizens should also be mindful that UK flights are currently suspended and of the possibility of similar directions by other aviation authorities which may affect scheduled flights. Citizens in Sharm el-Sheikh should make their travel plans in coordination with their travel or tour company.”

Department officials continue to keep the travel advice for Egypt under close review.