Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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43. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the analysis undertaken of the activities of a company (details supplied), which company continues to generate profit from tourism to illegal settlements, deemed illegal under international law; if he is concerned that despite the ruling by the International Court of Justice in July 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal and that all States must prevent trade or investment that supports the occupation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32972/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Enterprise. Tourism and Employment, I am aware of the concerns of the Deputy and the public that Irish businesses adhere to national and international laws are regulations concerning trade. The Deputy will be aware that this Government is progressing the Occupied Territories Bill to give certainty to business and citizens of the relevant requirements and restrictions. In May, the Government agreed to advance work on the Heads of a Bill. The Government is also clear that any legislation regulating trade with illegal settlement will be advanced as a necessary step to comply with international law and not as a “boycott” of, or “sanction” against, Israel. In parallel, Ireland continues to press for action at the EU level in light of the ICJ Advisory Opinion.

Ireland is an adherent country to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct. As an adhering country, Ireland has a National Contact Point which is located as a standalone Unit within my Department. As part of its remit, the Ireland NCP provides a non-judicial grievance mechanism to address complaints of alleged non-observance of the Guidelines. If its initial assessment is that a complaint merits further examination, the NCP offers its good offices to help parties resolve complaints through a mediation/conciliation platform. The initial assessment does not determine if a business is in breach of the Guidelines. The good offices provide a dialogue-based platform to assist the parties find a constructive outcome based on consensus and honest engagement.

Initial and Final Statements are published on my Department’s website. However, prior to that stage of the process, details of any complaint are not made public to allow both sides to engage in the process in good faith.