Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

It is critical that the record of the Minister's knowledge of this shipment while he has been in office is made available to those on this side of the House. In the interests of the Freedom of Information Act 1997, which is intended to provide the public with access to information, it is incomprehensible that the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, due to the way it believes the law has been framed as a result of changes made by the Minister to legislation, refused to give me more than 80 of the 120 documents it holds in respect of the most recent serious incident at Sellafield, that is, the leak at the reprocessing plant. This is a matter of concern because, as the Minister for Foreign Affairs said, Deputies have always agreed on the issue. However, Members on this side of the House do not possess all the facts. I need those facts to make a judgment as to whether the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is doing his job effectively in respect of this issue. I await his answers with interest.

The issue for Deputies is whether we agree with the British Government's announcement on the privatisation of the operation of all nuclear sites in the United Kingdom. This means that the British Nuclear Group — basically British Nuclear Fuels Limited, which has managed the process for a number of years — will compete with others who may or may not have better track records. The difference between BNG and the other groups is that it is a wholly-owned British Government authority and, therefore, there is, as much as there can be, a direct line responsibility for the ownership of and actions and transparency on the Sellafield site and elsewhere. Like the Minister, those on this side of the House are vehemently opposed to the privatisation of those sites. The key issue is that investment might be based on profit motives and not safety.

I read the British Government's information with interest and spoke with a number of its officials in Ireland but, while I respect the integrity of their positions, which they hold firmly and honestly, it is unacceptable to Fine Gael and the House that the process will continue. One of the marks of the relationship between Britain and Ireland in recent years has been the closeness of our views, particularly on Northern Ireland, and the ways in which we have moved forward. The old Irish view of Britain as an imperialist nation is long gone and we have a constructive and excellent relationship with the British Government at all times. It is fundamental to this relationship that the British Government should take on board our serious and deep concerns about what it is proposing, particularly in respect of the Sellafield site.

We are not confident that those involved in private enterprise will always put safety at the top of their list, have the relevant expertise at their disposal or be prepared to take the most expensive route rather than, from their perspective, taking that which might be most effective from the point of view of their incomes and balance sheets. What has happened to date at Sellafield has been unacceptable and there has been appalling neglect, particularly in terms of safety. A number of serious incidents have occurred but, thank God, a serious accident has not yet occurred there and I hope one never will. It is essential for Ireland that the British Government should adopt a hands-on approach to and take ownership of these issues.

My brother, Michael O'Dowd, who acts as chairman of a British-Irish anti-nuclear local authorities group, received a commitment from Mr. Peter Hain that the British Government does not intend to build a nuclear power station in Northern Ireland. I welcome this commitment.

The debate has moved on. In recent days, the representatives of Forfás published a report that, with the exception of its proposals on nuclear energy, was excellent. It is a short report of approximately 27 pages and is worth reading. It has many sound and solid sections. Arising from the report, I listened to a representative of Amárach Consulting make the case for a nuclear industry in Wyfla on "Morning Ireland" this morning.

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