Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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151. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in view of the Government of Iraq’s recent call for a global ban on depleted uranium weapons, the Houses of the Oireachtas past support for an Irish domestic ban on the weapons, and the European Parliament’s recommendation to the Council of Ministers this year that member states seek a common position in favour of both a ban, and assistance to states affected by contamination, if he will ensure that Ireland advocates for progress towards just such a goal at the United Nations General Assembly this October; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40619/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Ireland does not possess, and has never possessed, any weapons, armaments or ammunition containing depleted uranium. It is the firm policy of the Government that depleted uranium munitions will never be used by the Defence Forces. Research carried out to date by the relevant international organisations, including by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has concluded that depleted uranium does not pose a significant radiological risk. Other research has consistently returned inconclusive results. Ireland has voted in favour of the four resolutions on depleted uranium taken at the United Nations General Assembly since 2007, most recently in December 2012 when General Assembly Resolution 67/36 was supported by 155 States. These resolutions requested the UN Secretary-General to seek the views of member States and relevant international organisations on the effects of the use of armaments and ammunition containing depleted uranium. I have instructed my delegation to again vote in favour of the resolution at the General Assembly this year.

Following consultations with the Department of Defence, Ireland provided a national report to the UN Secretary-General in 2009. Ireland’s submission confirmed that while there is no practical method of testing people that 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 those disease processes most likely to arise in cases of contamination with depleted uranium. To date, no evidence of an unusual incidence of disease has been found.

At present, there is no international framework or treaty relating to depleted uranium munitions and, consequently, no internationally agreed definition or prohibition. To achieve the political momentum required for implementing an international ban, a necessary condition would be to establish conclusively the negative impact of depleted uranium on human health and on the environment.

The Government supports further study and research by relevant international organisations and the scientific community and welcomes the undertaking to do so in this year’s UN Resolution.