Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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108. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of Irish citizens who have been arrested and/or charged with supporting a terrorist organisation under the UK’s Terrorism Act for their support for Palestine Action; to outline the consular support the Irish embassy has given to those arrested; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50353/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I want to thank the Deputy for raising this question. The provision of consular assistance to Irish citizens who get into difficulty abroad, including in cases of detention, is a cornerstone of the work of officials in my Department. My officials and I place a strong emphasis on ensuring that Irish citizens receive timely and empathetic consular assistance in accordance with the Department’s Consular Assistance Charter.

Where a citizen is detained in another State and requests that their nearest Embassy/Consulate be informed of their detention, the State concerned should do so without delay, as set out in Article 36 (B) of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963. The State should also inform the citizen concerned without delay of their rights under Article 36 (B).

Where this does not happen, citizens can contact their nearest Embassy/Consulate at the earliest opportunity to review the facts of the case and determine the most appropriate action, which may include formal engagement with the relevant local authorities regarding the provision of consular assistance. In the event that a citizen is not in a position to request consular assistance, a family member or friend can do so on their behalf. Moreover, if an individual believes that they were unlawfully detained, they are strongly advised to seek local expert legal advice on the matter.

As with all consular cases, my Department does not comment on the details of individual cases.

That said, I am keenly aware of the extremely high level of interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the deeply held concerns of the Irish people on this matter.

Ireland has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire agreement and permanent end to hostilities, for the immediate release of all hostages and for the rapid, unimpeded and large-scale entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The current volume and pace of humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza under Israel’s partial easing of its blockade remains critically insufficient with famine now declared in parts of Gaza and likely to spread in the coming weeks.

Let me assure you that Ireland will continue to use all the tools at its disposal - political, legal, diplomatic and humanitarian - in response to this dreadful conflict.