Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 February 2023
71. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on the submission to the Government on associate membership of CERN being prepared by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6961/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Minister knows the associate membership fee of CERN is a minimum of €1.52 million annually, based on 10% of the full membership cost, which is estimated at €15.2 million annually. This is very important. Could the Minister provide an update? I know discussions have been happening on membership of CERN. As the Minister is aware, it is vitally important in so many ways.
I ask for an update on that.
I am glad we got to this question because I am pleased to give an update. In November, I indicated to the House that my Department would prepare a proposal for the Government to consider joining CERN. Officials from my Department have been liaising with CERN regarding the total cost of membership, the application process and membership options. One option is for Ireland to join CERN as an associate member for a period of between three to five years and then assess the appropriateness of further membership options.
Any formal request by Ireland for membership is likely to involve CERN sending a task force here to carry out a formal assessment of our suitability for associate membership. This is a normal process for any member. In order to ensure appropriate engagement and examination, it is envisaged that a submission will be made to the Government in the second half of the year. It is still my intention to go to the Government in the second half of the year. I have very recently been invited by the director general of CERN to visit and meet with its staff. I intend to do that in the coming months, certainly in the first half of this year, and to make a submission to the Government in the second half of the year. I am very keen to see us join CERN, although I do not want to pre-empt the Government process. Subject to Government approval, it will then be up to CERN to send a task force and so on. We are moving on this and I am eager that we make progress.
That is welcome news. I acknowledge the work done by PhD researcher Michael Mitchell from Trinity College Dublin in pushing this. He is a young Castlebar man who recognises the importance of it. The Minister has met with him, as I have.
In the case of associate membership, the return to Ireland would be capped at the same level as the amount invested. To become a full member, a country must go through an obligatory associate membership phase, prior to full membership, for a minimum of two and a maximum of five years. In this instance, the initial annual membership fee would be at least 25% of the full membership cost and should increase to 100% by the first year. There is no provision in the 2023 budget for CERN membership. The earliest Ireland could join, assuming that the required funding is secured through the Estimates process, would be 2024. Should the Exchequer commitment be confirmed, Ireland can request that CERN send a task force to Ireland to carry out a formal assessment of its sustainability for associate membership. This is the normal process for associate members and the assessment could take up to a year. I am glad to see that progress has been made.
I will be slightly cheeky and inform the Leas-Cheann Comhairle in respect of the previous question that the business cases are due to be completed by quarter 3. I had that information that I wished to share.
Pretty much everything Deputy Conway-Walsh said is a statement of fact. I obviously cannot get ahead of the Government process. I said in November that I was directing my Department to prepare a submission for me to bring to the Government regarding Ireland's willingness to join CERN and an application to do so. That is where we are at now. My team are working on that with a view to my bringing it to Government in the second half of the year. If the Government decides to join CERN at that stage, it will initiate the process outlined by the Deputy, including a task force and the like. Her timelines sound logical to me. Of course, there will be a fee, the level of which is to be determined. That will need to be secured in the context of the Estimates process.
Concurrent with that, we need to re-energise and renew interest in physics in schools. We need to start looking at how we get more young people interested in this at national school level because it is the future, solves so many problems for us and will do so into the future.
I agree. Not to stray into the Department of Education's role - there are two Departments involved - but one of the structures under Impact 2030 is to bring many Departments together that have an interest in this and for my Department to have a co-ordinating role. I will certainly feed the Deputy's comments and suggestions, with which I largely agree, back into that.
