Tánaiste to raise Occupied Territories Bill in Cabinet

RTÉ News​

6 hours ago

Tánaiste Simon Harris will bring the outline of the Occupied Territories Bill to Cabinet this morning.
The legislation will be known as the Israeli Settlements Prohibition of Importation of Goods Bill 2025.
This Bill will ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territory by making any import from there an offence under the Customs Act.
This will mean that the Bill will be enforced by customs officers.
They will have the power to inspect, search and arrest anyone seeking to import goods from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
While trade is banned, the legislation going to Government does not cover services.
Although the Tánaiste insists he is willing to consider its inclusion of services in the Bill and has sought the Attorney General's advice on this matter.
Once the Bill has been approved by the Cabinet, it will be sent to the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.
But there is no indication right now that the legislation will be enacted before the summer recess on 17 July.
US student visa applications clarity
Separately, Mr Harris has asked officials to engage directly with the US embassy in Dublin and with the US administration more widely in a bid to provide clarity about the increased vetting of social media accounts of student visa applicants.
He also asked officials to speak to third-level institutions and organisations that provide services for students who wish to travel with the United States.
This will be with the clear aim of providing guidance and examining possible supports for young people who wish to travel to the United States in the coming months.
Mr Harris also intends to raise this matter with the new US ambassador when he takes up his role next month.
Dublin city centre revitalisation works
Taoiseach Micheál Martin will today seek approval for a plan to revitalise Dublin City Centre.
The GPO be revamped under the plan which stems from the Dublin City Taskforce's recommendations.
There will be a commitment to transform O'Connell Street and its surroundings along with the regeneration of social housing complexes in the city centre.
Derelict sites will be converted into high-density residential areas where homes for essential workers will be a priority.
The regeneration work will be overseen by a stand-alone entity working under Dublin City Council, and it will be financed by both public and private investment.
There is a pledge too that policing will be more visible, and there will be "better located services" for vulnerable people.
Student Accommodation
Minister for Higher Education James Lawless will bring a memo to Cabinet to put in place a design guide for new State-supported student accommodation
It is seeking to deliver more beds quicker by building twin rooms, communal kitchens, and shared bathrooms.
This will replace the current individual ensuite rooms, and the minister is expected to tell Government that it will encourage a more sociable, integrated student experience.
Public spending across Government
The Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers will remind Cabinet ministers today of their responsibility to ensure value for money is central to how they spend public funds.
He will bring a memo to Government setting out the responsibilities of individual ministers to ensure value for money, as well as the legislation that underpins decision making.
Minister Chambers will remind ministers that value for money is about securing efficiency in the use of public resources to deliver enhanced public services, living standards and infrastructure for the country.
While the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will bring the Patient Safety (Licencing) Bill 2025 to Cabinet.
The Bill will give HIQA the power to sanction hospitals if safety standards are not met.