John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Government is very pleased that the World Health Organisation has invited Taiwan to take part as an observer in the upcoming World Health Assembly. We agree with Deputy Perry that this as a positive development in a worldwide disease prevention system and a welcome development in international co-operation.

In common with most member states of the UN and all EU partners, Ireland adheres to a One China policy, recognising the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China. We therefore do not support Taiwanese membership of organisations where statehood is a prerequisite for membership. We take the view that any status granted to Taiwan by the WHO must be compatible with the One China policy.

However, against the above background, and with our EU partners, Ireland for many years has been active in seeking to ensure Taiwan's meaningful participation in the activities of the WHO to the fullest extent possible, so as to ensure that there is no geographical gap in the important work of that organisation. In this context, Ireland supported the Taiwanese application for observer status at the meeting of the WHA from 18 to 27 May. We are very pleased that the Government of China also accepted the case for Taiwan's participation as an observer in the WHA, which paved the way for the director general of the WHO, who is Chinese, to issue the invitation to Taiwan.

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