Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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118. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on discussions he has had with the administration of the United States. [52958/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The United States is an important partner for Ireland and the Government’s priority is to ensure that the long standing and warm relationship between Ireland and the US endures, in the interests of Ireland and of Irish citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.

With that in mind, and as is the case with all of our bilateral relationships, we engage with the US administration on an ongoing basis, both at official and political level.

In terms of my own discussions with the US administration, I visited the US twice in recent months - in September, for the UN General Assembly and bilateral engagement, and in October, for political engagements in Washington.

Both of these visits featured discussions with US administration officials. Those discussions covered inter alia issues such as the Ireland-US economic relationship, the UK exit from the EU, Northern Ireland, the Bombardier case and immigration reform, as well as topical foreign policy issues.

These visits, as well as others by Government officials and Ministers, are complemented by ongoing engagement by our diplomatic missions in the United States, led by our Embassy in Washington D.C.

In addition, I, along with officials of my Department, maintain ongoing contact with the US Embassy in Dublin, routinely raising issues such as visa policy and immigration reform.

Most recently, I spoke with the US Embassy earlier this week to convey my concern at the announcement by President Trump of the proposed relocation to Jerusalem of the US Embassy to Israel.

I can assure the Deputy that I, and my officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, will continue to work assiduously to strengthen what is already a very warm and productive relationship.