Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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111. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on Ireland's role in any reform in the structure of the United Nations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37740/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The working methods and the priorities of the UN must be kept under regular review to ensure that resources are directed to the areas of greatest need and used with the utmost efficiency.

The work of the UN Security Council is an area of particular importance. Few can doubt that there is considerable scope for improving the functioning of that body. Ireland is a member of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) grouping which was launched in May 2013 in New York. ACT is a cross-regional group of 21 states which is actively promoting new approaches to the work of the Security Council. In particular, we welcome the initiative put forward by France and supported by Mexico to better regulate the use of the veto power by Permanent Members of the Security Council. While we consider this power an anachronism and something which should eventually be abolished, the French proposal is a necessary step in the right direction and deserving of support.

It is also clear that the question of increasing the membership of the Security Council needs to be addressed and a number of ideas have been proposed for that purpose. While Ireland is not a proponent of any particular configuration of the Council, other than refusing to countenance the possibility that any new Permanent Members would exercise a veto, we are strongly of the view that the Council must more closely reflect regional balances as well as the current realities of population and economic weight in the world.