I appeal to the Government to listen to the sentiment of the House this evening and to accept Opposition amendments to include services in this Bill or, even better, to bring forward its own amendments in later Stages. The vote on the occupied territories Bill does not need to be divisive but the Government has chosen division by deciding to exclude services from the content of the Bill before us today. This is despite the original draft presented by Senator Francis Black. This is despite the very detailed recommendations of the joint Oireachtas committee. This is despite the legal view of many legal experts and it is despite the very clear legal opinion from the International Court of Justice from July 2024. Let us recall that decision. Let us recall what the International Court of Justice held was a state's obligations. It said all states are under an obligation "to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings" and to "prevent trade or investment relations" with the settlements. That is a very clear statement. The Court was very clear that trade included goods and services. Indeed, even the Irish Government and the Department of foreign affairs legal experts who gave testimony at the joint Oireachtas committee accepted that point. So, why is the Government presenting us with a Bill that excludes services? The Government used to tell us that it was for legal reasons. The argument continuously trotted out was the Attorney General's advice. That was despite the fact the Attorney General's advice from 2024, which I was lucky enough to see and have presented to me, made it very clear there was no distinction made between goods and services. Indeed, when we look at the sanctions regime Ireland has signed up to in respect of Russia, it sanctions both trade in goods and services with Russia without any difficulty. Indeed, if we look at the whole body of European Union law, there is a detailed body of case law and legislation specifically on the question of services. The issue is not a legal one. It is a political one. In fairness, that has become even clearer from remarks made by Government spokespeople and the Taoiseach in recent days. It is clear that it is fear of the Trump administration that is driving this decision and illogical arguments that the Trump administration might tolerate a Bill that bans goods but if we bring forward a Bill that covers trade in services that will somehow be a step too far for the Trump administration. Now is not the time to allow our values as a country to be shaped by fear of the Trump administration. I appeal to the Minister of State to bring forward amendments that include services in this Bill.

Sentiment score: 0.11