Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Signing and ratifying it brings significant obligations to a country and we would have to examine it in detail. That it has not been ratified since 1999 by EU countries and our own probably tells its own story. It may not be an adequate instrument and may need to be re-examined. The slow take-up and the decision by so many not to ratify may tell a story or open insights on issues to do with the convention.

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