Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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33. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline the engagements he has had with the Donald Trump administration and its representatives regarding the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 in the past six months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37855/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Engagement with third-country counterparts is a central part of my work and that of my officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Such engagement routinely includes exchanges on issues relevant to the bilateral relationship between Ireland and the country concerned.

The Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill has not been the subject of my political engagements with US interlocutors in the past six months. Given the significant level of public interest in the Bill, several international partners, including the United States, have expressed an interest in the Bill and the Government’s approach. My officials have engaged with them on the matter, including briefing them on the Government’s position.

Ireland’s Embassy in Washington DC also engages regularly with the US Administration at a senior level, including the State Department and the National Security Council.

I and officials of my Department remain open to engaging with international partners who have expressed an interest in the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill.