Dáil debates

Wednesday, 29 March 2006

European Council: Statements.

 

1:00 pm

Photo of John GormleyJohn Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

This is it. It is opposed to Sellafield, but leaving the door open to fast-track nuclear power stations in this country. I should like answers on this because if the Government does not introduce an amendment to exclude nuclear power stations from the Seventh Schedule, clearly it is being hypocritical in the extreme. The Green Party will mount a campaign against this. We will use postcards and do everything we can. Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, who claims to be opposed to nuclear power, introduce such an amendment to this legislation? He owes it to the people to do that at the very least. He should tell the House that he will introduce such an amendment.

I also want to refer to the results of the declaration at the very end, where there was supposed to be some reference to Guantanamo Bay. Despite demands by the Netherlands and Belgium, the conclusions of the EU summit in Brussels did not contain any reference to the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. However, the press statement explicitly backs closure of the camp. What was the Minister's position on this? Did he back the call for reference to be made to Guantanamo Bay. This installation is in breach of international law. Ireland has said, as a country, that it expects the highest regard for international law and respect for human rights to be upheld, yet I do not know what the Minister's position was in this matter.

Will the Minister respond to those two aspects, his position on the proposed amendment of the Seventh Schedule of the Planning and Development Act 2000 by the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006 which allows the option of nuclear power stations to be pursued, and our position on Guantanamo Bay?

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