John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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238. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the quantity of coal that has been purchased by the ESB from the Cerrejón coalmine in Colombia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52527/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Responsibility with regard to the importation of coal comes under the remit of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, and my Department does not hold information around the quantity of coal that has been purchased by the ESB.

However, I am aware of the human rights concerns that have been raised by some civil society organisations around the operation of the Cerrejón mine, and my Department has been following these issues closely.

The Embassy of Ireland in Bogota has visited the region where the mine is located, as well as the mine itself, on two occasions. Our assessment has been that the situation on the ground is complex. The Embassy, along with our EU partners, continues to maintain engagement with all stakeholders, and to encourage all stakeholders to engage in inclusive dialogue in order to resolve the issues.

More broadly, Ireland and Colombia enjoy excellent, long-standing relations across a range of areas. Our cooperation in the area of peacebuilding and our support to the Colombian peace process is a key component of the bilateral relationship, and we recognise that addressing social, land-related and environmental issues is an essential component of Colombia’s peace process, as is addressing the situation faced by human rights defenders, civil society groups, and minority and ethnic groups in Colombia. Our support to the peace process takes the form of funding to the EU and UN Trust Funds for peace, as well as funding to civil society involved in peacebuilding, the operation of a lesson-sharing programme to exchange on experiences in peacebuilding from the Northern Ireland context, and constructive engagement on the United Nations Security Council. Since the new Colombian Government took office in August, we have reiterated our steadfast support to supporting Peace Agreement implementation and our firm intention to remain a long-term partner in this regard.