Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil supports the Bill, the purpose of which is to enable Ireland to become a state party to the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The treaty prohibits participation in a range of activities relating to the transfer, development and use of nuclear weapons.

Ireland has a long history in working towards the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons and Fianna Fáil is proud of our country's efforts in this regard. In 1958, led by the then Minister, Frank Aiken, Ireland introduced the first of what became known as the Irish resolutions at the UN, which eventually led to the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty, which has become the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament. The NPT is the most widely recognised agreement relating to nuclear disarmament and arms control among 189 states parties. Since then, Ireland has continued to advocate for the elimination of nuclear weapons, recognising the security, humanitarian and gendered threat that they pose.

Unfortunately, nuclear weapons continue to pose a serious threat to society and the environment. The recent decision of the United States administration to terminate the long-standing Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia and the Administration's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal last year are a cause of grave concern. In addition, Iran's subsequent breaching of the nuclear deal and limits on uranium stockpiles underscores increased tension between nuclear possessing states and the need for ongoing efforts to ban nuclear weapons.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the first multilateral treaty relating to nuclear disarmament to have been negotiated in 20 years and is one that Fianna Fáil wholeheartedly supports. Global disarmament is one of the UN's oldest goals. The first resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in January 1946 called for control of atomic energy to the extent necessary to ensure its use only for peaceful purposes and the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons.

In the 1950s, Frank Aiken, a Fianna Fáil Minister for External Affairs, led the charge at international level to try to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. His efforts helped to bring about the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty. It grants the five nuclear-weapon states recognised by the NPT, namely, China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, the exclusive right to possess nuclear arsenals but simultaneously obliges them to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament. Moreover, signatories commit to work on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control. Unfortunately, the aim of global nuclear disarmament, first declared in 1946 and reiterated since, has not been achieved. Even though global stocks of nuclear weapons are at their lowest level in more than 50 years, there are still an estimated 15,400 nuclear weapons worldwide.

The overall number of nuclear weapons worldwide has decreased from a peak of 70,000 in the mid-1980s. However, all states with nuclear weapons are currently investing vast sums in modernising their nuclear arsenals and delivery systems, raising fears of a new arms race. Renata Dwan, the director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, indicated in May that all states with nuclear weapons have modernisation programmes under way and that the risk of nuclear weapons being used is at its highest since the Second World War. This is deeply concerning and there needs to be a concerted effort to minimise the risk of nuclear weapons and the threat they pose.

Deteriorating relationships between states that possess nuclear weapons, coupled with dangerous new capabilities and technologies is a cause of grave concern and must be addressed. Fianna Fáil is committed to seeking a safer world and the promotion of international stability. To this end, we are committed to the pursuit of nuclear disarmament. We would encourage nuclear armed states to reduce their arsenal and to simultaneously increase predictability and mutual confidence between armed states in order to reduce risk. Fianna Fáil also calls for greater transparency from states on the nuclear weapons they possess and the concrete measures they have taken in the field of nuclear disarmament.

Fianna Fáil welcomes Ireland's efforts to highlight the gendered nature of the impacts of nuclear weapons. Ireland has pushed for this to be seriously considered and has highlighted evidence that while the detonation of one or more nuclear weapons would cause massive death and injury to all, the evidence is clear that, over the longer term, of those who are exposed to ionising radiation from such a detonation, women and girls have a far higher risk of developing cancer than men or boys. Ireland's efforts to give this humanitarian aspect of nuclear weapons is to be commended and one that Fianna Fáil supports.

Fianna Fáil supports the CTBT, which was adopted at the UN General Assembly in 1996. While all EU member states have ratified the CTBT and are abiding by the obligations it lays down, we are concerned that the treaty is not yet in force. We urge all states that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the CTBT without any preconditions or further delay. The states that have not yet ratified the treaty are China, Egypt, Israel, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Iran and the United States.

Fianna Fáil supports Ireland's membership of the New Agenda Coalition, a cross-regional group of states committed to promoting progress on nuclear disarmament. Ireland played a central role in the coalition's formation in 1998 and remains committed to its objectives alongside fellow members Brazil, Egypt, Mexico, New Zealand and South Africa. Ireland is also a member of the Conference on Disarmament and in August to September 2013 acted as president of the conference.

We are happy to support the swift passage of the Bill.

See this speech in context