Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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25. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the work she has undertaken to progress the Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025. [65564/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In June, the Government approved the General Scheme of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill. The main purpose of the Bill is to prohibit the importation of goods into the State from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade held a number of hearings on the General Scheme, and received submissions representing a range of views and perspectives.

Pre-Legislative Scrutiny is an important part of the legislative process and the Tánaiste has thanked the Committee for its report on receipt. Detailed work to analyse the report and its recommendations is well underway.

The Regulatory Impact Assessment is currently being finalised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and will be available on the Department’s website when completed.

The next steps in the process, including the timeline for the progress of the Bill, are being considered by Government.

The General Scheme fulfils the commitment in the Programme for Government to prohibit the import of goods from settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. Trade in services is considerably more complex than is the case with goods and there remains considerable legal uncertainty as to whether the inclusion of services is permissible under EU law. Legal clarity is needed on this point.

We must also take account of practical issues with regard to implementation should services be included in the scope of the Bill.

It remains the Government’s preference that collective action would be taken at EU level and we continue to pursue this.

In this context, Ireland has welcomed the announcements by the Dutch, Slovenian, and Belgian Governments regarding the banning of the importation of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements, and the introduction of legislation by the Spanish government

At the EU level, the primary right now is ensuring the success of the ceasefire and peace deal and of making a contribution to international efforts in this regard.