Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

On more than one occasion I have asked about the Government's intentions towards ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. It would appear that the ratification process is not progressing. Previous answers have suggested that the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, as the lead Department, is reviewing the situation. The countries that have ratified the convention held a conference recently in which Ireland was not free to participate and could only stay on the margins. A commitment to ratify the convention is contained in the Government's White Paper on development. The Government should make a clear statement as to whether it will ratify the convention in the lifetime of this Dáil. It has been asked to do so by all the NGOs involved in the development area, yet it seems that no progress is being made in this respect. Until the ratification process takes place, Ireland will be excluded from the debate on corruption and overseas aid projects in which Ireland regularly seeks to intervene.

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