John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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389. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland will be sending representatives to observe at the first meeting of states parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which is scheduled to take place between 19 and 21 July 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6734/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to confirm that Ireland will attend the first Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as a full State Party.

Ireland ratified the TPNW on 6 August 2020, which also marked the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Nuclear disarmament is a signature foreign policy, and Ireland’s support for the TPNW is closely linked with the strong and enduring commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Ireland is a member of the core group of the TPNW and is actively engaged in preparations for the upcoming first Meeting of States Parties, both with the Core Group and with the full membership of the Treaty. It is unfortunate but necessary that due to the public health situation the Meeting has had to be postponed until a date yet to be confirmed in 2022. I encourage an open and inclusive Meeting of States Parties; in particular I encourage states who are not yet party to the Treaty to participate as observers.