Vol. 399 No. 12
3 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps which are taken to ensure that no nuclear weapons are aboard foreign naval vessels when they visit Irish ports, particularly Irish towns and cities whose local authorities have declared their areas to be nuclear free zones.
It has been the policy of successive Governments to grant permission for visits to Irish ports by foreign naval vessels provided that such visits do not form part of a naval exercise and that the vessels are not carrying nuclear weapons. The Department of Foreign Affairs ensure that countries which seek permission for visits by their naval vessels to an Irish port are aware of these and any other conditions relating to shipping laid down from time to time. The Government are confident that existing arrangements are adequate to ensure that the conditions laid down are upheld.
Do the Department of Foreign Affairs require visiting vessels or their countries of origin to give an assurance that they are not carrying nuclear or chemical weapons?
No. This matter has been raised on a number of occasions and the practice is the same as has always been adhered to in the past. Our wishes in this regard are well known. They are drawn to the attention of visitors and in accordance with normal protocol and practice between friendly states we assume that our wishes are respected by these countries.
The net effect is that we do not know and do not have an assurance that vessels are not carrying nuclear weapons. A number of local authorities, including my own, have declared their areas to be nuclear free zones, yet vessels visiting their ports may be carrying nuclear weapons. Perhaps this is an appropriate time for the Government to consider introducing measures similar to those which apply in New Zealand where visiting vessels are required to give an assurance or make a declaration that they are not carrying nuclear weapons. Would the Taoiseach consider it appropriate to introduce a Bill declaring this country to be a nuclear free zone? This would have the effect of excluding from our ports vessels carrying nuclear weapons.
We are a nuclear free zone and that is the practical reality. I do not think introducing legislation would be much more than an empty exercise. Fortunately we do not have any nuclear installations, nor are we ever likely to have them. I would hope that nuclear military hardware would eventually disappear, not just from Europe but from the world. That is perhaps down the road. Unfortunately in some areas nuclear weaponry is spreading rather than being reduced. We will be talking about nuclear proliferation at the Dublin Summit. What we are talking about here is courtesy visits by friendly naval vessels from countries with whom we have good relations and whom we respect. We draw our requirements to their attention. It is a matter of courtesy between countries with good relations that this is as far as we need to go. They know what we want them to do and we assume that they comply with our wishes.
By what means do the Department of Foreign Affairs convey the Government's wishes to visiting vessels? Is each individual visiting vessel notified of the Government's position or are the government of a vessel's country of origin notified of our Government's position in relation to each individual visit?
I do not want to disclose too many details of these consultations but they have been made aware of our wishes.
Thousands of military aircraft go through our airspace, presumably with the permission of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. What assurance has the Taoiseach that these aircraft are not carrying nuclear devices?
The question relates to naval vessels visiting our ports.
It is a related matter.
It is deserving of a separate question.
Is it not true that there is no great mystery about how this happens? If ships have to enter our territorial waters, the country of origin asks if it is in order for one of their ships to visit our ports. We agree under certain conditions. There is no big mystery.
I had the honour of a courtesy visit from three French naval vessels on Inishvickillaune a couple of years ago and I had no problems with nuclear weapons or anything of that kind.
