Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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340. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he spoke with the United States House of Representatives Minority Leader during his visit to New York for St. Patrick's Day events. [14986/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ongoing, high-level political engagement with the United States on critical issues for Ireland is a priority for the Government. I have had several interactions with senior U.S. officials and members of Congress in recent months, including during my visit to New York and Massachusetts for St. Patrick’s Day. There were several other visits by Government representatives to the United States for St. Patrick's Day, many of which also allowed for engagement with members of the United States Congress, notably the Taoiseach's visit to Washington, which included meetings with both the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House of Representative.

During my St. Patrick's Day programme, I met with Congressman Richie Neal, Co-Chair of the Friends of Ireland caucus and had engagements with New York State Attorney General Letitia James, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

I also met with key contacts in the Biden administration and on Capitol Hill during my last visit to Washington, DC in early February. I met with the bipartisan Friends of Ireland caucus, and spoke at an event on Capitol Hill to launch an exhibition celebrating the role of women in the Northern Ireland peace process. The event was attended by a number of House Representatives, as well as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs Joe Kennedy III. I also had separate meetings with Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Chris Murphy to discuss key political and foreign policy matters.

I did not have the opportunity on these occasions to meet with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, but look forward to meeting him in the future and working together on matters of shared importance.