Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to contribute to this important debate on Sellafield. I speak as a northside Dublin Deputy with major concerns about Sellafield and about nuclear power in general. Most of our citizens have major health and safety concerns about the Sellafield plant, which I have opposed from the outset. I do not do so lightly and I base my belief on the international experience of accidents, deaths and the threat to the planet from nuclear power stations. I also base my opposition on the international scandal of nuclear weapons and their major threat to international peace. I do not support the brass-neck politics of Britain and the US, states which lecture other nations, most recently Iran, about nuclear power and which possess the real weapons of mass destruction. They are wrong, immoral and a disgrace to the international community. We need disarmament now. These weapons of death should not be allowed to continue in existence. They are a major waste of the financial resources needed to end poverty, famine and starvation.

I urge all Deputies to support this common sense approach and I urge this country, as an independent and neutral State, to use its clout at the United Nations and within the European Union to end nuclear power and weapons once and for all. It is a form of terrorism that should be targeted on the international stage.

Sellafield and all nuclear power stations are a threat to the human race. Plans to privatise the €56 billion clean-up of Britain's aging nuclear sites will, according to one of the most senior figures in Britain's own nuclear industry, cause serious accidents. Brian Watson, former director of the UK's largest nuclear site at Sellafield in Cumbria, has accused British Government Ministers of pursuing an erroneous dogma that can only result in costly mistakes.

Prime Minister Tony Blair is preparing to launch his long-awaited review this week, which is widely expected to introduce a new programme of nuclear power stations and which is set to provoke bitter arguments. The introduction of competitive tendering for decommissioning of nuclear plants to begin later this year could be disastrous. I fear that the loss of control could be similar to that relating to Railtrack, the private rail company which collapsed in 2001. Competition is likely to lead to incidents of a serious nature due to "short-termism" and a lack of experience and knowledge. If people get it wrong at Sellafield, there will be no going back. Brian Watson worked at the Sellafield plant for more than 30 years and was site director from 1999 until he retired in July 2004. He made his comments in response to the strategy being proposed by the British Government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. At Sellafield, there are 21 tanks which each contain 1,500 cu. m., of high-level liquid waste that requires continual cooling. There are seven different cooling systems in place. The tanks contain 2,400 kg of caesium-137.

I urge all Deputies to challenge Sellafield. We owe it to our constituents, the citizens of this State.

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