Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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As the Minister of State, Deputy Creighton, will be aware, yesterday, 21 September, was the international day of peace, a day that has been recognised by the UN for the past 29 years. It was also the first day of the opening of the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly, where leaders from around the world have come together to discuss their plans for progressing peace and human security for the coming year.

Our first endeavours in the United Nations in the 1950s were always in pursuit of peace, be it in sending peacekeepers around the world, as we have done for many decades and continue to do, or in the control of nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament generally. Indeed, the first Minister sent to the United Nations in the 1950s, Mr. Frank Aiken, pursued a treaty on the non-dissemination of nuclear nations. In 1961, the Irish resolution adopted by the UN took a hold of that vision and in 1965 was converted into the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT. We have continued to work in the pursuit of arms control and disarmament since then and, most recently, at the review conference for the NPT in 2010, we were very successful in achieving some significant progress in nuclear weapons zone in the Middle East and will continue to work towards those endeavours. We have also worked very successfully in trying to abolish landmines and cluster munitions. In 2008, a declaration was signed in Dublin that brought into effect the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Peace day is about more than one day, however. We must continue with these efforts on a constant basis until we have achieved a world that is free from the threat of nuclear weapons and other such threats. Tomorrow in New York, on the margins of the General Assembly, there will be a conference on facilitating the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, also known as the Article 14 conference. This is a treaty that was opened for signature 15 years ago, in 1996, yet it still has not come into force. It is the next most important step in achieving a world free of nuclear weapons and the next most important piece of architecture in the nuclear non-proliferation regime, yet it is still not in force.

There are nine countries involved but it is two states that have held out from signing and ratifying the treaty. It is imperative that Ireland, given its position and its history of involvement in this area, pursues that goal, particularly the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, and that it gives dedicated effort to achieving finally the entry into force of that treaty sooner rather than later. This was the last major WMD arms control treaty to be negotiated by the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, a conference which has been in stalemate for the past 12 years, which is a disgrace. We must also make efforts in this regard.

The Tánaiste is at the UN General Assembly at present. I wish him well in his endeavours and in the negotiations and bilateral meetings he will hold.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. His timing is excellent. Disarmament and non-proliferation is a priority and the Government is committed to seeking further progress in this area in the coming year. As the Deputy pointed out, Ireland's engagement on this agenda goes back to the 1950s and then Minister, Mr. Frank Aiken. Nuclear non-proliferation and implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty have been priorities of Irish Governments for more than 50 years and we have a proud record of engagement and achievement in this very important field.

The NPT, the primary international mechanism for controlling the spread of nuclear weapons, is reviewed every five years. The 2010 review conference adopted forward-looking action plans across all three pillars of the treaty - disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy - and on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Full implementation of these plans would considerably reinforce the non-proliferation regime. The first preparatory committee in the 2015 review cycle will take place in Vienna in May 2012, and this will offer an important opportunity to assess progress. Ireland played a crucial role in the 2010 negotiations and it is our intention that we will maintain our active role in the upcoming review cycle.

A number of practical steps were agreed in 2010 on implementation of the 1995 Middle East resolution, including the convening of a conference in 2012 on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction. Ireland brokered this important agreement. While progress on its implementation has been disappointing to date, I hope the 2012 conference will take place and Ireland will do all it can to make it a success.

An important objective for the coming year here will be to negotiate a strong and robust arms trade treaty at a diplomatic conference in New York. This must address the challenges posed by unregulated trade in conventional arms and their diversion to the illicit market, and it must prevent these weapons from threatening security and development or violating human rights and international humanitarian law. Ireland has been active in preparatory work for an arms trade treaty, and this continues to be a priority issue. There will also be a review in 2012 of the UN programme of action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons which cause death and injury to hundreds of thousands of people every year, and Ireland will work to strengthen the programme of action.

The Government remains firmly committed to the elimination of all cluster munitions, which cause unacceptable harm to civilians, and implementation and universalisation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, CCM, adopted in Dublin in 2008, is a key objective. At the second meeting of States Parties in Beirut earlier this month, Ireland was appointed co-ordinator on clearance for 2012-13. It is the Government's intention to work hard in the year ahead to make significant progress in supporting implementation of the CCM on this key provision on clearance and destruction of cluster munition remnants, an area in which Ireland has considerable expertise. We also hope that it will be possible to conclude a CCW protocol in Geneva this year, compatible with and complementary to the CCM, which will extend further the protection of civilians from unacceptable harm caused by cluster munitions.

A critical concern remains the dysfunctional UN disarmament machinery, particularly the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, which, as the Deputy noted, has failed to do substantive work for more than a decade. An important priority is revitalisation of the machinery to make it more responsive to 21st century challenges.

I assure the Deputy and the House of the Government's commitment to work to the full to achieve progress on the disarmament and non-proliferation agenda in the year ahead.

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. It is very encouraging to hear that the Government is preparing for the 2015 review conference on the NPT. It is particularly encouraging that the Middle East review will be going ahead in 2012, and I wish everyone the very best in that regard because it is very important to what we are trying to achieve in that region as well as in the wider world in regard to nuclear weapons disarmament.

With regard to the measures being pursued at present in regard conventional weapons, it is very commendable that we have a commitment in this area, both through the UN system and also through the NGO system. I wish the Government the very best on both those tracks.

The Tánaiste will become chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe next year. I am the head of the Oireachtas delegation to the parliamentary assembly for the OSCE and I offer him and his Department all my support in everything he hopes to achieve next year. The delegation will be interested in meeting the Minister to hear more about his plans while chairman of that organisation and I look forward to hearing from him in that regard.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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I will be brief. I again thank the Deputy for drawing Members' attention to this issue. The Government's preparations for taking over the chairmanship of the OSCE are at an advanced stage. In the course of the autumn, I will undertake a considerable amount of bilateral work in which I will be wearing two hats, one obviously in respect of EU bilateral relations and the other pertaining to preparations for the OSCE and meeting other interested parties across the European Union and beyond.

I am proud of Ireland's record in the area of disarmament. We are rightly perceived internationally as having credibility and as having given strong leadership and unwavering commitment to achieving a nuclear weapons-free world. We have contributed to significant and not insubstantial achievements in freeing the world of landmines and cluster munitions. I assure Members the Government is committed to working to continue to make a difference in respect of both nuclear and conventional disarmament and in strengthening the non-proliferation regime. Implementation of the final document of the 2010 review conference and of the Convention on Cluster Munitions adopted in Croke Park three years ago are priorities, as is the negotiation of a robust arms trade treaty during next year's negotiations in New York. I note that while treaties are in place in a number of areas, what is needed in many cases is action to fulfil existing commitments, rather than new initiatives. As I indicated previously, making the dysfunctional disarmament machinery work is fundamental for the future. Progress in recent years has been facilitated by an improved international environment and renewed political will on the part of a number of states in possession of large arsenals of inhumane weaponry. It is to be hoped this will be maintained and translated into concrete steps and action, particularly in the forthcoming non-proliferation treaty review cycle. The ultimate goal of course is a nuclear weapons-free world and the Government will do all it can in the coming year to bring us closer to that day.