Ireland should speed up the process of joining the Cern European particle physics laboratory, given the benefits of membership, according to James Lawless, the opposition spokesman for science, technology, research and innovation.
It was “encouraging” that Fabiola Gianotti, Cern’s director general, visited Ireland in October 2016 to meet the minister and discuss membership, but the government has not moved this on towards membership said Lawless, a member of the opposition Fianna Fáil party.
Benefits include the potential to bid for commercial contracts with Cern, but these are being given to other European countries because Ireland is not a member, Lawless said in a statement on 22 August.
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