Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government has today introduced the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Bill 2019 to make provision in domestic law for the obligations the State will assume under the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, TPNW. I thank all Members who contributed to this afternoon's Second Stage debate. I am pleased that a world free from nuclear weapons is a shared objective by all Members of this House and I thank those who have also praised Ireland's role in leading the negotiations of the TPNW with the core group of states.

As I mentioned in earlier remarks, the significance of the TPNW lies in the fact that for the first time the core objective of the prohibition of nuclear weapons will be clearly and unambiguously stated in an international treaty addressing that current legal gap. The TPNW contains a comprehensive set of prohibitions on nuclear weapons activities, including undertakings not to develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons. These provisions represent in themselves an important milestone on the path towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons, as do the provisions of the treaty prohibiting the stationing, installation or deployment of nuclear weapons on national territory.

In addition to the comprehensive prohibitions in the treaty, the TPNW makes its own contributions to the multilateral disarmament framework through a number of groundbreaking provisions that I cited in my opening remarks. The treaty takes a holistic approach, looking at the actual and potential real world effects of nuclear weapons and, in doing so, it shifts the discourse from a security lens to a humanitarian lens, challenging us to think about the enormity of the threat posed by these weapons. By stigmatising and prohibiting nuclear weapons, it makes a statement that these weapons are simply no longer acceptable. It centralises the impact on victims and provides assistance for survivors of nuclear weapons testing or use. It also addresses the fact that ionising radiation is even more harmful to women than men and it promotes the equal participation of women and men in disarmament fora. The treaty recognises the alarming impact of nuclear weapons testing and use on our already fragile planet and it provides for environmental remediation measures.

These new provisions reflect a greater appreciation of the elevated risk and the catastrophic consequences that would result from a nuclear weapons detonation. Whereas the TPNW is supported by the majority of countries, it is opposed by all nuclear weapons states and their military allies, including NATO members. That is not surprising, given the arsenals of nuclear weapons that these states hold. These countries argue that the fact that they have nuclear weapons deters other states from attacking them but Ireland does not subscribe to the nuclear deterrence theory, rather believing that the existence of nuclear weapons constitutes a threat to human security and the future of the planet, as outlined so eloquently by other Members this afternoon.

The argument put forward by opponents of the treaty is that it undermines the existing legal frameworks provided by the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and the comprehensive test ban treaty. From our perspective, the negotiating mandate for the conference that adopted the TPNW set out clearly that the new legal instrument to be adopted was to be complementary to and reinforce the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and the comprehensive test ban treaty.

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Ireland's approach to the negotiations was very much guided by this aspect of the mandate and we are satisfied that the TPNW achieves the same very well. The non-proliferation treaty always envisaged a separate legal instrument to provide for nuclear disarmament and the TPNW is therefore the first step in implementing the nuclear disarmament provisions of the former.

The interaction of the TPNW with the existing disarmament and non-proliferation architecture was a primary concern of many states during the negotiations. I am confident that the TPNW has adequately addressed these issues by complementing and enhancing existing arrangements while not creating parallel or competing structures.

A number of like-minded states which are also not part of military alliances have already signed and ratified the TPNW, for example, Austria and New Zealand. However, there are some like-minded states which have not signed for now and national debates are taking place in many of these jurisdictions. We expect up to five further ratifications at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York next week and up to six further signatures. To date, 122 UN member states have shown support for the TPNW.

Despite the criticisms and the reluctance by some states to sign or ratify the treaty, the TPNW is an important milestone. Not only does it represent significant progress but it also reinvigorates the non-proliferation treaty at a time when this is badly needed. It gives back the impetus to non-nuclear, small states like Ireland to seize the initiative and move forward the nuclear disarmament agenda once more. It is incumbent on us to do so because not only is nuclear disarmament a signature aspect of our foreign policy, a nuclear weapons-free world is also in the best interests of humanity.

It is clear that issues of nuclear disarmament sometimes require us to take a position that is not universally shared or popular. I am proud that this principled approach, based on integrity and consistency, is a hallmark of Ireland's disarmament policy stretching back decades. Ireland has never shied away from its advocacy for nuclear disarmament and the continued existence of nuclear weapons is a challenge to global security, an affront to our planet and abhorrent to our people. The ethical, humanitarian and now legal imperatives for disarmament are overwhelming.

The Government is anxious to carry forward the excellent work that is already being done by being in a position to ratify the TPNW by the end of this year and the enactment of the present Bill facilitates this and will clearly demonstrate Ireland's commitment to promoting the earliest possible entry into force of the TPNW. I look forward to the progress of the Bill to Committee Stage and thank all the Members for their contributions this afternoon. We look forward to proceedings on the Bill being concluded in the shortest possible time.

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