Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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147. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the British Prime Minister at the British-Irish Council meeting. [57254/22]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I met with Prime Minister Sunak on 10 November on the margins of the British-Irish Council Summit in Blackpool.

We discussed the war in Ukraine, climate change, energy costs and inflation, the EU-UK protocol negotiations, and formation of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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148. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at COP27. [57284/22]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I participated in the World Leaders Summit at the 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh on 7-8 November.

On 8 November, I delivered Ireland’s National Statement to the plenary session, taking the opportunity to set out Ireland’s climate ambition and the Government’s commitment to supporting vulnerable countries who, despite having contributed least to climate change, are bearing the brunt of its impact.

I also engaged in a number of high-level events and roundtables, including on food security and on the sustainability of vulnerable communities.

I highlighted Ireland’s commitment of over €800 million to support nutrition over the next 5 years, and over €100 million to our response to the devastating drought and food security crisis in countries in the Horn of Africa.

I joined the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, at a high level event on ‘The Global Shield Against Climate Risks’, where I announced that Ireland will contribute €10 million to the Global Shield initiative for 2023.

I also availed of my visit to COP to hold a bilateral meeting with the President of Vanuatu and had the opportunity to engage with a number of fellow world leaders over the course of the two days.

I heard first hand from the Prime Minister of Pakistan and others of the devastation caused to their countries by the devastating impacts of climate change.

I also met with the Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, and our discussion focused on the important topic of loss and damage, and on the legal consequences of climate change.

While there I met with a number of Irish youth climate advocates, representatives of humanitarian NGOs, a number of academics and students from UCC and UCD, and with a representative from the EPA.