Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I asked some time ago the reason Ireland had not signed the optional protocol to the United Nations Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and received in this regard a helpful reply from the Minister for Foreign Affairs who stated that Ireland would be attending the signing ceremony but was not then in a position to sign. What is the current position? Does the Government intend to sign and ratify the convention, when does it propose to do so and has it considered the international reputational damage of not doing either?

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