Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I commend the Independent Senators on tabling this motion. I commend the Government on supporting it subsequently and bringing the issue to the fore in advance of the conference on munitions in Dublin in May.

The motion reminds the Government of its commitment to legislate in this area. I read in The Irish Times recently that the Government will delegate responsibility on munitions to a new committee on humanitarian law to be established by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Austria, Belgium, Hungary and Norway have enacted legislation on this matter. I hope this proposed committee ensures comprehensive, tight and timely legislation on cluster munitions is introduced. I would hate to see the advent of the committee leading to further delays.

Cluster munitions are an urgent matter requiring international action. Cluster bombs are the most indiscriminate of all conventional bombs. The affected area of one cluster bomb can be as wide as the combined area of three football fields. A cluster bomb used on a military target will not just affect military personnel and installations. It can lead to horrible deaths and injuries to innocent civilians in non-military areas.

These munitions often fail to explode on impact. The ordnance becomes less of a bomb and more a landmine. It is estimated that after the 2006 conflict between Israel and Lebanon, 1 million unexploded bombs remain in the conflict zone waiting to injure and kill people long into the future.

When in Vietnam I visited the former US base, Khe Sanh, beside the Ho Chi Minh trail which had come under attack during the Tet Offensive. When abandoning Khe Sanh, the Americans decided to bomb the Viet Cong into submission. As a result, the surrounding area is covered in unexploded ordnance. Every year innocent civilians are maimed and killed by these unexploded munitions.

Of the 13,000 cluster bomb casualties recorded by one international group, 98% are civilians. I am glad the motion has been tabled and that serious clauses in it have not been amended. It insists that any legislation on the matter will make it impossible for cluster munitions or materials for them to be produced in Ireland. It also demands legislation should assist victims of cluster munitions. Funds must be dedicated not just to the clearance of these unexploded munitions but to the rehabilitation of people who have been maimed by them.

Countries such as Ireland can act as a leading voice in working with other European countries to help ban cluster munitions. We must ensure Ireland is not a passive opponent of cluster munitions but an active campaigner for their removal and the mitigation of their effects. If Ireland is an active campaigner it will demonstrate that the Government is walking the walk as well as talking the talk. By doing this we can help to motivate other European countries to action and, it is to be hoped, embarrass some European countries into turning away from their current courses of action in the production of cluster munitions. This motion ensures that any legislation that eventually arises will include action and international leadership by Ireland. In this way we can aid the victims of cluster bombs and increase support for clearance of contaminated land.

I support the motion, as does my party. I encourage the Government to act quickly, take the motion seriously and legislate strongly against the evil of cluster munitions.