Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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53. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on a case (details supplied), whose two sons are being held in Egypt by their father without her consent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27576/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I can assure the Deputy that officials in my Department have been in regular contact with the Irish citizen in this case and are continuing to provide consular assistance. A senior official has been appointed as her dedicated case manager and is in very regular contact with her.

I have met with the citizen in November 2023 to discuss their case and I continue to engage with my officials on the case. I have raised the case on a number of occasions with my counterpart in the relevant jurisdiction, most recently in April of this year. I have expressed my keen desire to see a timely resolution to the case, one that is grounded in the best interests of the children.

Additionally, there has been sustained engagement at a local level with the relevant authorities. Embassy officials, including the Ambassador, have regularly engaged with the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other missions to gather advice and expertise on how best to support the Irish citizen.

I fully appreciate that the circumstances of this case are difficult for all concerned. The country in question is not a signatory to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. As a result, in cases of dispute or unlawful removal, there is no international system in place containing a practical mechanism for the return of children from that State to Ireland.

The clear advice from all of our engagements on this case is for the citizen to appoint a local lawyer and to engage with the local legal system and I welcome her decision to do so.

The Department of Foreign Affairs cannot interfere in legal or custodial matters in another jurisdiction, but I can assure you that my officials will continue to provide appropriate consular assistance to the citizen concerned.