Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

In reply to Question No. 65 of 8 November 2006, I advised that my meeting with the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Mr. Alistair Darling MP, is due to take place on 9 January 2007. This follows my earlier meeting with Mr. Darling's predecessor, Mr. Alan Johnson MP, as well as contacts with my UK counterpart Mr. David Milliband MP, and with the chairman and chief executive of the British Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. I met earlier this year with European justice Commissioner Frattini, energy Commissioner Piebalgs and environment Commissioner Dimas to discuss Irish concerns on Sellafield in the context of the EU jurisdiction for nuclear safety.

Adverse environmental consequences have arisen for Ireland as a result of nuclear policy decisions and actions adopted by the UK. Our concerns about Sellafield have been consistently articulated to the UK Administration at Prime Minister, ministerial and official level and I intend to reiterate strongly these concerns to the UK Secretary of State next month. Ongoing contact through correspondence and meetings at ministerial, official and expert level is maintained with the UK authorities regarding a range of issues on the Sellafield plant. These contacts are productive and reflect an increasing recognition by the British Government of the serious concerns held by the Irish Government about Sellafield. This increasing recognition stems from the fact that this Government has consistently impressed upon the UK — through international legal actions and so on — that Ireland has a substantive interest in the nuclear issues under deliberation in the United Kingdom. However, there remains a significant difference in views between this Government and the British Government about the nuclear energy issue in general and more particularly on the continued operation of the Sellafield nuclear plant.

Government policy continues to reflect the firm position that the existence of Sellafield is an unacceptable threat to Ireland and that it should be closed in a safe and orderly manner. The Government will also continue to use every legal, political and diplomatic avenue open to it to secure the closure and safe decommissioning of the plant.

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