Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
984. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has received any gifts from visiting dignitaries; if he will provide a breakdown of the details of these gifts, their value, and the way they were disposed of; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41118/22]
View answer985. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has received any gifts while travelling abroad; if he will provide a breakdown of the detail and value of these gifts and the way they were disposed of; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41136/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 984 and 985 together.
It is standard international practice, usually by prior mutual agreement, to exchange small, modestly valued, representative gifts between Ministers and foreign dignitaries during ministerial and other high-level visits to and from Ireland. On occasion, as per international custom, the Minister for Foreign Affairs may also present a gift in order to reciprocate one received from a counterpart. Gifts received are token in nature, of nominal value and are typically retained within the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Private Office of the Minister in Iveagh House.
Under section 15 of the Ethics in Public Office Act (1995), gifts presented to office holders valued in excess of €650 are deemed to be gifts to the State and must be recorded accordingly following valuation through the Office of Public Works. The Minister for Foreign Affairs did not receive any such gifts in the period requested.
Department officials maintain a working list of gifts received by the Minister for Foreign Affairs while travelling abroad and from visiting dignitaries to Dublin for record-keeping purposes. The table below has been compiled from electronic records held by the Department of Foreign Affairs for the period January 2022 to date. A basic description of the gift is provided for each location visited and/or a specific source indicated where applicable.
|
Inward Visits |
Location |
Gift(s) received |
|
Visit of Governor and First Lady of New Jersey |
Iveagh House |
Ornamental plate |
|
Visit of Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall |
Grow HQ - Waterford |
GIY GROW Box plants received from Grow HQ owners |
|
Lunch with US Congressional delegation |
Iveagh House |
Ceramic tray/plate with US congressional seal |
|
Visit of the Leader of the UK Labour Party |
Iveagh House |
Box of House of Commons chocolate mints |
|
Visit of Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan |
Leinster House |
Ornamental plate |
|
Visit of US Senator, Tammy Baldwin |
Iveagh House |
Ornamental plate |
|
Trips Abroad |
Location |
Gift(s) received |
|
Gymnich EU Foreign Ministers' Meeting |
Brest, France |
French European Council Presidency gift bag (containing branded water bottle, pencil, candle, notepad) |
|
Visit to Iran; Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian |
Tehran, Iran |
Leather photo frame |
|
Munich Security Conference |
Munich, Germany |
Munich Security Conference gift bag (containing assorted token items such as branded facemask, pen, brochure, sticker) |
|
Visit to Washington D.C. and Boston |
Washington D.C., Boston MA |
Ornamental vase in the shape of a cod "the sacred cod" (from MA Governor Charlie Baker); "Anything but Steady" - novel by Professor Ofrit Leviatan; small glass globe from the Harvard Centre for European Studies; "Boston Irish" hoodie from a delegation of Massachusetts State House Irish-American caucus representatives |
|
Visit to Madrid |
Madrid, Spain: Real Instituto El Cano |
Glass paperweight bearing the logo of the Institute |
|
EU-Jordan Association Council |
Dead Sea, Jordan |
Ornamental ceramic plate; metal ornamental olive leaves |
|
Visit to Türkiye |
Hatay, Türkiye; Ankara Türkiye |
Governor of Hatay: Gift box of Turkish perfume and scented facial wipes; FM Çavusoglu: gift set of espresso cups and saucers; small, metal ornamental serving dishes in the shape of leaves |
|
Visit to Romania and Moldova |
Bucharest, Romania; Chiinu, Moldova |
PM Ciuca of Romania - metal presidential coin; FM Aurescu and President Iohannis of Romania - books; FM Popescu of Moldova - 2 bottles of Moldovan wine |
