Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The UK has emphasised that nuclear materials are protected at all times and levels of security at nuclear sites are very high. All sites are required to comply with a security plan approved by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security and the measures taken exceed international requirements in this area. The Minister, Deputy Roche, has asked the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland to review the information available and advise him accordingly. Should high level action be indicated arising from its advice, he will raise the matters directly with his ministerial counterparts in the UK.

With regard to the generation and stockpiling of plutonium generally, it is clear that the present security climate throughout the world is extremely difficult. In this climate, the security implications of the nuclear spent fuel reprocessing industry, in which Sellafield plays a significant role, must be critically addressed. The strong view of the Government is that reprocessing, which results in the transport of spent fuel throughout the world, the transformation of this fuel and the generation of additional nuclear waste and significant amounts of plutonium and other nuclear materials, which must then be transported back and ultimately stockpiled, is correspondingly more problematic. For this reason, the Government is opposed to the continued reprocessing of spent fuel at Sellafield and will continue to utilise all legal and diplomatic opportunities to bring it to an end.

On behalf of the Government, the Minister, Deputy Roche, will continue on a bilateral basis with the UK to articulate the concerns and protect the interests of Irish citizens regarding nuclear reprocessing and ensure these views are articulated consistently and cogently at relevant international fora such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Union.

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