Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, for taking this matter. He will be aware that the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, was established in 1954 as an international collaboration to advance human knowledge. The latest estimate is that more than 16,000 scientists from more than 110 countries have been engaged in CERN's activities. It is the world's leading particle physics laboratory and is an incredible engineering and IT project.

During the entire Covid process we have learned about how international co-operation is crucial for us to be able to tackle some of the global challenges. It is unfortunate that Ireland is not a member of one of the world's leading scientific laboratories, if not the world's leading one. Malta and Ireland are the only members of the European Union that are neither members nor associate members. The Minister of State will be aware that in 2016 there were discussions on starting membership. In November 2019, the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment stated there should be immediate plans for us to become members of CERN. Ireland's foreign policy has always been based on international collaboration. We pride ourselves on working with other countries to be able to solve some of the world’s problems. This is what CERN has been doing.

Many people heard about the Higgs boson in 2012 and read in 2013 how CERN had won the Nobel prize for physics, but CERN is also responsible for things that make big differences in our daily lives. It was responsible for the Internet, good and bad as it is. CERN was ultimately responsible for touch screens.As a Minister of State in the Department of Health, Deputy Feighan will be aware that CERN was responsible for medical positron emission tomography, PET, scans, which allow for early detection of cancer, heart disease and brain disorders. The research that was done in CERN contributed to all of that.

There have been many reports and calls for Ireland to join CERN and yet it has not happened. I am asking for a clear timetable on Ireland's membership of CERN. For those involved in the scientific research community, it is important we send that message. It also sends a message about Ireland's fundamental belief that we want to contribute to solving global problems. We believe in science and understand the importance of scientific research. I hope the Minister of State will deliver at the very least a clear pathway for Ireland's associate membership. I hope we will enter into full membership of the organisation.