Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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349. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of Irish citizens abroad receiving consular or embassy assistance while being incarcerated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5873/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Consular assistance was requested and provided in approximately 320 cases involving Irish citizens imprisoned overseas between 2015 and 2021. In 2021, there were 23 new cases of Irish citizens in prison overseas in receipt of consular support.

The Department of Foreign Affairs provides consular assistance and support to any Irish citizen imprisoned overseas who requests our help. Our Embassies and Consulates provide direct assistance in many cases, through consular visits, when permitted, and through practical advice and assistance to individual detainees. Information on the types of assistance we can and cannot provide can be found at www.dfa.ie/travel/assistance-abroad/arrested-or-detained-abroad/.

My Department also works through our partnership with the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO), which receives funding from our Emigrant Support Programme to support Irish prisoners overseas and their loved ones.

It should be noted that it is not possible to provide precise statistics for the number of Irish citizens detained or imprisoned overseas. In some cases the individuals involved do not seek any assistance or do not want the Irish authorities to be informed of their situations. In some other cases, regrettably, local authorities sometimes fail to notify the Irish authorities of the imprisonment of our citizens.