Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The issue of investigation procedures for private nursing homes will be dealt with under the provisions of the health Bill, which is due this year. I understand the medical practitioners Bill is due later this year.

On the first issue raised by Deputy Bruton, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, has been in contact with his British counterpart on this matter. He has obviously reiterated the concerns raised in this House about any change in the status of Sellafield and is seeking to have it closed sooner rather than later. We hope that the difficulties being experienced with THORP will not be used as an excuse or given as a reason activities should continue at Sellafield longer than absolutely necessary. This is a long-standing matter, which has been pursued by successive Governments, using every possible political and legal channel available to us, to determine how that plant might be taken out of use as quickly as possible. Recent pronouncements on its future ownership simply heighten that concern and add to it.

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