Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

I also welcome the opportunity to again focus attention on the widespread concern in Ireland regarding Sellafield, which continues to be the greatest single environmental threat facing the Irish people.

The history of Sellafield has been one of cover-ups, accidents and incidents, an absence of proper accountability, PR propaganda rather than genuine transparency and even the falsification of safety records. All that was when full responsibility rested with a state-owned body with a degree of political accountability. With the plan to sell off the British nuclear clean-up business dominated by Sellafield's THORP plant, an operation that increases its nuclear dangers almost by the day, there is now even more concern that the private sector will, as it always does, maximise its profits at the expense of safety measures. Such measures have never had the degree of priority they deserve, particularly in light of the potentially catastrophic implications of a major accident for the Irish people.

I doubt whether we will ever know the full truth about incidents that have already happened at Sellafield or whether we will ever be told the full extent of the risks of a major accident occurring in the future. While I recognise the necessity of the Taoiseach raising this matter tomorrow with the British Prime Minister, I cannot see Mr. Blair doing anything other than offering a dose of his usual lip service.

The privatisation of the nuclear waste business to enable British Nuclear Fuels to construct more modern nuclear power stations places this country in increasing danger of a potential catastrophe over which we will have no control. The only acceptable solution is to close Sellafield.

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