Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent telephone call with President Biden. [26831/24]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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7. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent telephone call with President Biden. [26829/24]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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8. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent conversation with President Biden. [27033/24]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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9. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent telephone conversation with President Biden. [27045/24]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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10. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent telephone conversation with President Biden. [27082/24]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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11. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent telephone conversation with President Biden. [27948/24]

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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12. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President, Joe Biden. [28194/24]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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13. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent telephone call with President Biden. [28143/24]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 13, inclusive, together.

I had a telephone conversation with President Biden on the evening of Monday, 17 June. He congratulated me on my recent appointment as Taoiseach and I thanked him for his enduring friendship to our country. We spoke of the deep and growing co-operation between our two countries, built on deep historical and ancestral ties, on a range of issues. We discussed the deepening of our economic ties, the importance of the two-way flow of investment for both our economies, and how the US and Ireland can continue to work together in areas of great importance to those business-to-business links, including in cybersecurity.

I thanked President Biden for his contribution and that of the United States to peace in Northern Ireland. I welcomed the ongoing work of the US special envoy to Northern Ireland for economic affairs, Joe Kennedy, in supporting initiatives to bring sustainable economic development to Northern Ireland. We agreed on the essential role of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement in maintaining not only political stability but also the efficient functioning of government in the North for the benefit of all of the people in Northern Ireland. I updated him, as co-guarantor of the agreement, on some of the work that is going on under the shared island initiative and the work the Government is doing to support the Northern Ireland institutions.

I briefed President Biden on my attendance at the global summit on peace in Ukraine in Switzerland on 15 and 16 June and my engagement with Vice President Kamala Harris, who was attending on behalf of the US. The President and I agreed on the need to continue to support Ukraine in every way we can. I thanked him for his personal commitment to this effort and all that he and his Administration are doing to support Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression.

The President and I also discussed the conflict in the Middle East and the need for an immediate ceasefire. I outlined my views on the horrific humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding. I thanked the President for his ongoing efforts to bring about a ceasefire and a permanent end to the conflict. We shared the view that an immediate ceasefire is required and a two-state solution is the way to achieve permanent peace and stability in the region. Of course, we agreed and reiterated that all hostages held by Hamas must be released and on the need for unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. As I said, we both reiterated our commitment to a two-state solution as the only way to ensure a just and lasting peace.

I finished by wishing President Biden and the American people well.

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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The US Supreme Court found this week that Presidents are immune from prosecution in respect of official acts. One wonders what direction the US is going in at this time. President Biden is firmly committed to liberal democratic values. It was important that the Taoiseach spoke to him following his nomination and appointment, given the close relations between our two countries.

As the Taoiseach indicated, he has briefed President Biden on developments in Northern Ireland. With a general election taking place in the UK tomorrow, it is timely to reflect on the fateful Brexit vote on 23 June 2016 and all that has happened since then. We have been dealing with the fallout ever since, particularly as it relates to Northern Ireland. President Biden has been of enormous help in defending the Good Friday Agreement and avoiding the creation of a hard border on the island of Ireland following the Brexit vote. With the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland now enjoys full market access to both Britain and the EU. As the Taoiseach noted, President Biden has appointed Joe Kennedy as special economic envoy to Northern Ireland.

I would like to know how Northern Ireland is doing from an economic point of view under these new arrangements. Is that something the Government is monitoring and assessing on an ongoing basis? I presume the restoration of the Northern Ireland institutions is helping in that regard. Given all that has happened since 2016, what is the Taoiseach's view on the future economic development of Northern Ireland? How is it proceeding? Presumably, it is something we fully support and encourage.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Taoiseach's engagement with President Biden and the US Administration. An issue that has concerned me for a considerable number of years is the plight of the undocumented Irish in the US. They face particular difficulties. I am aware that both the Tánaiste and the former Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, raised this issue during their meetings in Washington in March. I hope the current Taoiseach will be able to keep this very much on the agenda. We need to secure legal pathways to visas and citizenship for Irish people who are working, paying their taxes and rearing their families in the US. Unfortunately, those people are not able to come home to Ireland if there is a family bereavement or celebration. Despite their taking part in normal day-to-day activity in the US, they cannot come home if they need to, provided they do not have visa status. I sincerely hope the matter can be kept on the agenda.

I am realistic enough to know that comprehensive immigration reform is difficult in the US because of the political divisions there at present, but bipartisan legislation was introduced recently in Congress regarding the E-3 visa programme and there is now a renewed effort to have an Irish-specific category of E-3 visa. I sincerely hope that in the Taoiseach's deliberations and engagement between the Department and the embassy, this can be very much kept on the agenda as well.

The work of special envoy Joe Kennedy is very important. Thankfully, since 1998 and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, we have seen the growth of the all-Ireland economy. If investment comes to Northern Ireland, it is good for us, and if investment comes to our State, it is good for Northern Ireland. We now have one economy. We are all interdependent, so what benefits Northern Ireland benefits us. Similarly, what benefits us indirectly benefits Northern Ireland. Therefore, it is very important to continue to grow the all-Ireland economy, engage with the US Administration and, importantly, endorse strongly the work of special envoy Joe Kennedy, as the Taoiseach does.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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I do not know whether the Taoiseach watched the US presidential debate last week. It was a spectacle that in many ways is like a microcosm of the death agony or decline of US imperialism. On the one hand, there was a man who is a congenital liar who basically could not open his mouth without telling a lie, a sexual abuser and an authoritarian, hard-right politician who encouraged an insurrection after losing the last election and, on the other, facing off against him, was an extreme establishment politician of the Democratic Party who could not coherently string a sentence or argument together and who continues to fund Israeli genocide against the Palestinians. It is no wonder, therefore, that parts of the Democratic Party establishment are scrambling to see whether Biden can be moved aside and an alternative can be put in place. Many ordinary Americans hope a credible alternative to Trump can be offered at the next election but ultimately, this does not come down to personality; it comes down to politics.

The agreement on the question of Palestine in the debate was striking. In fact, Trump criticised Biden for saying Hamas is the reason there is no ceasefire. Trump actually told the truth and said it was not because of Hamas but because of Israel, but he was actually supporting Israel going on. The word "Palestinian" was used as an insult, with nobody challenging it, by Trump against Biden. What is needed is an alternative to this profit-based system based on exploitation, environmental destruction, racism and support for genocide.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Regarding US support in the early stages of and throughout the entire period of the peace process from the Good Friday Agreement right through to Brexit and the issues that it caused, including the fear of a hard border in Ireland, it would be fair to say the US was on the right side. Joe Biden and the Democratic Party have a huge issue in their campaign against Trump at this point, but we need to recognise the abject failure of US foreign policy, particularly in supporting Israel. The Taoiseach said we want to see a two-state solution and roadmap that will provide justice, peace and security for both Palestine and Israel but what America is doing at this point in backing Israel and Netanyahu is not helpful. In any of his conversations, did the Taoiseach have any reason for hope in the sense of a change in US policy? Does he see any movement regarding the EU-Israel association agreement? Are more states willing to consider reviewing it in light of humanitarian conditions? It does not make sense to us in Ireland and we want to see movement on it. We demand movement but I get that many of our partners are not necessarily in the right place. We need to maintain whatever pressure we can on the Americans and other EU states.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Since Israel's genocidal massacre commenced in Gaza, hundreds of millions of people across the world have taken to the streets in solidarity with Palestinians, including in the US, where Jewish people have said Israel's crimes are not committed in their name and that Biden's arming and supporting of Israel does not represent them.

Considering the depressing spectacle of Trump versus Biden – somebody complicit with genocide versus somebody who is a pathological liar, racist, abuser and proto-fascist – should we not stand with the millions in America, ordinary people, who are saying, "Not in our name; these people do not represent us", and acknowledge that the fundamental problem, whether it is Trump, Biden or successive US regimes, is the fact that those regimes continue to arm Israel to commit the sorts of crimes it is committing in Gaza and, prior to those, carry out the siege of Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians under an apartheid system? Biden, on several occasions when he could string a sentence together, summed it up when he said that if Israel did not exist, the US would invent it. In those words, he spoke the truth of US foreign policy. Is it not time that people like the Taoiseach and the leaders of governments around the world who are horrified at this spoke the truth about the malign influence of US foreign policy in providing the succour that can allow Israel to commit the sort of genocide it is committing now?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank my colleagues, who raised a range of issues. On Deputy Haughey's comments on Northern Ireland, the role played by special envoy Joe Kennedy is very helpful. That President Biden appointed him as envoy to Northern Ireland but also as economic envoy to Northern Ireland is significant in and of itself for the reasons the Deputy outlined. We can be proud of the peace process on this island, which is something so cherished that we can never take for granted, but the prosperity element is the next step. That is the way to embed peace. The Irish Government takes a very active interest in all these issues in terms of our shared future and role as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement.

The investment conference held by special envoy Kennedy was important and I would like to see it followed up with a skills conference. There is a genuine deficit owing to young people leaving Northern Ireland, resulting in a skills drain in the economy, but we are very much putting our money where our mouth is regarding the economic well-being of Northern Ireland, Ireland and the island of Ireland. In this regard, let us consider the projects we are investing in through the shared island unit, whether they involve key road infrastructure like the A5; the expansion of educational provision in Derry through the Magee campus, a huge project; the Ulster Canal and the Narrow Water bridge, which will both provide genuine tourism benefits to Northern Ireland and the Republic; or our support for Casement Park, with its ability to provide opportunities and attract events to Northern Ireland. We continue to take every opportunity to play a positive role regarding our shared future. The Tánaiste and I are very aligned on and committed to this. However, there is a huge body of work to be done. There is absolutely no doubt that the economic impact of political inertia for several years has had a particularly challenging effect on Northern Ireland's public services. The First Minister, Deputy First Minister and Executive are working hard on all these issues.

I acknowledge Deputy Smith's acknowledgement of Joe Kennedy. I am honoured to have met Mr. Kennedy in Boston in March. I spoke to him on the phone within days of my becoming Taoiseach and I hope to meet him in person soon.

I am very supportive of the work he is doing. I will continue to keep the issue of undocumented Irish on the agenda, as will the Tánaiste, our ambassador in Washington, the Department of Foreign Affairs and my own Department. The innovative work being done in respect of E-3 visas and trying to find a way forward is important as well.

I saw the debate between the two US presidential candidates. I have a policy of not commenting on elections in other countries, but it was at a very early stage of the electoral cycle to have a debate for an election that will take place in November. I believe it might have been the earliest presidential debate so far.

Our foreign policy is an independent one. We will continue at every forum to speak our views on international issues, for example, our decision to recognise the State of Palestine when others would probably have preferred us not to, how we vote at the UN, how we speak at the European Council and how we vote on the Council of Ministers. We will continue to speak up for international law and in favour of human rights.

It was important that Deputy Ó Murchú acknowledged the support of the US and the key role it played in the peace process. I had the chance to thank former Senator George Mitchell, one of the architects of that work, when he visited me in my office in recent weeks.

As to whether I got some hope from the call is a fair question. I definitely left the call with President Biden with a clear understanding of the intensity of the work that is going on in the background to try to bring about a ceasefire. There are a range of vital issues that need to be discussed regarding the Middle East, but the most important is an immediate cessation of violence, and that is where the focus must be.

Regarding the association agreement, I do not want to mislead the Deputy. We are still the holder of a minority opinion at European level in that regard, but we continue to maintain that position.