Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I wish to raise two issues. One relates to the offer from the Minister for the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government, through the Minister for Finance, to have a full briefing on the issue of Sellafield, which I welcome. I ask that such a briefing include the significant details of the information given to the Irish Government on foot of the last serious incident in Sellafield. The information that was given to the Government, or certainly the information that was in the public domain, was misleading. I am deeply concerned about that. As an Opposition spokesperson, I would like to examine fully the complete response of the Government and the RPII to the information that was given.

Second, the circulars regarding the Irish language issued by the Minister for Finance are not being adhered to by other Departments. Does he have a system of accountability in his Department to ensure that other Departments adhere to the circulars, regardless of their contents? Is he satisfied that he should issue such circulars or should he amend them if they are not being adhered to by Departments such as the Department of Education and Science?

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