John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs who, unfortunately, cannot be present. The Government carefully follows the debate on possible health and environmental hazards from depleted uranium. We share the concerns raised at international fora, including in the European Parliament and at the UN, and agree that further studies are required to assess the potential risks involved. Ireland voted in favour of resolutions 62/30 and 63/26 at the UN in 2007 and 2008. These resolutions requested the Secretary General to seek the views of member states and relevant international organisations on the effects of the use of armaments and munitions containing depleted uranium. The Secretary General has issued one report and will submit an updated report later this year prior to further consideration of the issue by the General Assembly in late 2010.

Ireland submitted its national report on this issue to the UN in 2009. This report confirms that Ireland has never possessed any weapons, armaments or ammunition containing depleted uranium. It also states that Ireland shares the concerns raised at the General Assembly about the potential risks related to such use of depleted uranium. The report confirms that while there is no practical method of testing people who may have been exposed to depleted uranium, thorough medical examinations are carried out on all Defence Forces personnel returning from deployment overseas. These include tests intended to detect signs of the disease processes most likely to arise in cases of contamination by depleted uranium. To date, no evidence of an unusual incidence of disease has been found.