Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Question 25: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the role he envisages playing in promoting Ireland's traditional support for nuclear non-proliferation and if he plans any specific initiatives in that regard targeted at countries which may be undertaking the construction of nuclear weapons. [5353/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Nuclear weapons pose an existential challenge to humanity and achieving their elimination is a fundamental global challenge. Nuclear non-proliferation and implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty have been priorities of Irish Governments for over 50 years. We have a proud record of engagement and achievement in this critically important field and I am committed to maintaining this tradition.

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 and I intend to promote this, bilaterally and multilaterally, in the period ahead.

The International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna plays a key role in overseeing and regulating the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and the Government is committed to strong support for its work. Full compliance with all obligations under the IAEA statute, with safeguards obligations and with Security Council resolutions are essential to establishing international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of nuclear programmes, particularly that of Iran. Ireland is firmly of the view that all States should adopt a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, together with an Additional Protocol to that agreement, to enable the Agency to reach comprehensive conclusions on a State's exclusively peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The Government is also fully supportive of efforts by the E3 +3 to achieve a comprehensive negotiated long-term solution which restores international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme, while respecting its legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.