Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome this comprehensive Bill, which covers all aspects of the banning of nuclear testing in Ireland. I compliment the officials involved in drafting the legislation, the purpose of which is to give effect to and transpose into Irish law our obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The treaty was opened for signature in 1999 but, regrettably, it has not come fully into force.

This debate is an important opportunity to reaffirm Ireland's support for the full implementation of the treaty. It will enter into force only when 44 specifically named countries have ratified it. The countries in question are those the International Atomic Energy Agency deems to have a nuclear capability, whether civilian or military. Ratification by the key 44 countries will not, however, close off their nuclear capabilities. It is a mechanism to deter nuclear proliferation. Ireland, naturally, is not among these countries and our history in regard to nuclear arms must be acknowledged on the international stage. Ireland has always played, and will continue to play, an important part in promoting the policy of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and the passage of the legislation is another important step in that direction. Ten years after its opening for signature, the treaty is still, however, in a vulnerable position. The Minister of State referred to a number of key states, including India, Pakistan and the United States, which must sign and ratify it to enable the treaty to take full legal effect. The longer the treaty is not ratified by these states, the greater the chance that one of them will resume nuclear testing and that must be a concern for all.

By prohibiting any nuclear weapons test explosion or any other nuclear explosion, the treaty will help to constrain the improvement of nuclear weapons, curb proliferation and advance the disarmament of nuclear weapons. It has been signed by 176 states and 135 states have ratified it. The Bill will give effect to the treaty under Irish law, completing our ratification. The Minister of State referred to the 337 monitoring stations around the globe that will detect nuclear testing and explosions. It is important they are properly resourced and take account of testing anywhere on the planet. The legislation requires a state that has signed up to the treaty to prohibit persons anywhere on its territory or in any other place under its jurisdiction from carrying out or participating in the carrying out of a nuclear weapons test explosion or any other nuclear explosion.

It is important to consider the purpose of the treaty, the challenges to its entry into force and the consequences for national and international security if nuclear testing were to resume. A nuclear test ban contributes to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology, as well as supporting disarmament. It also prevents further damage to the environment from the intense heat and radiation of successive nuclear blasts. History details the horrific harm caused through the inappropriate use of atomic or nuclear energy. The atomic bombings in August 1945 illustrate the magnitude of harm caused by such explosions. For example, of Hiroshima's population of 340,000 people, 130,000 were dead by November 1945 and, by 1950, an additional 70,000 had perished, mainly from radiation-related illnesses. In Nagasaki, 70,000 people were killed outright or died within the first four months and another 70,000 had died by 1950. Such horrific explosions have significant consequences. All countries have strived to find a way to deter further use of such horrific bombs. Any civilised state must learn from this mass destruction of life and we must continue to remind ourselves of the destructive potential of nuclear weapons to civilisation itself. Ireland has been a leader in this regard and we must continue to strive to find ways to prevent further use of such weapons.

A major concern that will continue to exist, despite the adoption of the Bill, is that it will take just one unstable situation in a country with nuclear capabilities to cause a cascade effect and trigger the use of nuclear weaponry, bringing devastation to our planet. North Korea was a signatory to the treaty but inspectors from the IAEA discovered discrepancies in its position. Pressure was put on it to comply but, instead, it withdrew from the treaty, which must be a concern. There is no impediment to leaving the treaty but it also has been argued that a ban on leaving it would impinge on national sovereignty and make it difficult to encourage countries to sign up to it.

Article 6 of the treaty obliges the states holding nuclear weapons to pursue in good faith measures related to nuclear disarmament and to ending the nuclear arms race. Since the end of the Cold War, significant progress has been made towards this goal. For instance, 2,000 warheads from an entire class of weapons have been eliminated under the intermediate range nuclear forces treaty. The ending of the Cold War has not, however, had the desired effect on reducing the total number of weapons that the political situation would warrant. A new generation of nuclear weapons is being designed in the US and the United Kingdom and this programme will run to 2020.

In particular, the 1995 treaty mentioned the five key states with a key role to play in the test ban treaty and contained several commitments in the sphere of disarmament such as making the comprehensive test ban treaty a reality and negotiating a verified ban on the production of enriched uranium and plutonium for weapons use. Failure to meet these commitments is one of the main reasons the 2005 review conference on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, NPT, ended without any declaration on this issue, which is also a cause for international concern.

Since 1996, more than 158 nations, including the US, have signed the nuclear test ban treaty, yet the world has witnessed nuclear and missile tests in India, Pakistan, Iran and North Korea. Global enactment of the nuclear test ban treaty banning all nuclear test explosions can provide a last line of defence against new advances in weapons development. Nations can build unsophisticated nuclear weapons without testing but they would be much less likely to do so knowing they could not test. Without a ban on testing, other weapons states will at some point begin testing again.

The threat of international terrorism must be examined. Former Soviet republics and others have plutonium and uranium deposits and it is important that Ireland has the resources through the treaty to both monitor and properly resource the agencies to which authority has been given to oversee the implementation of the treaty. Agencies such as the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland have the expertise and it is important the Minister of State ensures its staff has the resources to properly carry out their functions under the treaty. The Garda also has a role to play, even though this issue is not on its agenda on a daily basis. International terrorist threats occur and, from time to time, reference is made to an attack, for example, on Sellafield and the serious impact that would have on Ireland. It is important that we play our part, having signed up to the treaty. We welcome the Bill, which will enhance and reinforce Ireland's position on total nuclear disarmament while banning the testing of nuclear weapons. Ireland can, and will, play a role in this regard going forward. I support the Bill.