Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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428. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of occasions Ireland has supported a no action motion on any UN council resolution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38146/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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It is not Ireland’s practice to support motions of the kind referred to by the Deputy as we see them as a form of censorship of discussion and debate which are essential to the functioning of the bodies of the United Nations and other international organisations. Ireland has frequently condemned the use of such motions by other States and in the case of the Human Rights Council we would particularly oppose it as it precludes the discussion of situations of legitimate concern to the entire international community.

As the no action motion is an established procedural device Ireland does not rule out its use in all circumstances and might, for example, consider supporting a no action motion in the case of a draft resolution denying the right of a Member State of the United Nations to exist.