Mr. Paul McDonald:

The Department commissioned the assessment. The probabilistic risk assessment that was referred to earlier, which looked at the issue from the point of view of what the damage to the environment might be, recommended that we look at the socioeconomic cost of such an accident. We drew up the terms of reference and we engaged with the ESRI. That was done for a number of reasons. The information we were looking to get would inform decisions on whether it would be in Ireland's interests to be a signatory to certain international treaties and conventions concerning nuclear emergencies. The analysis would help to inform our position on policy and legislative developments in Europe and internationally. An assessment of the vulnerabilities would help to inform emergency management. The Department engaged with this process and of course accepts the findings of the ESRI report.