Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

-----and much rhetoric on the part of political parties on what can and cannot be done. We are dealing with a sovereign state, the same as our own. The objective of the Government is to close Sellafield but we cannot force the British Government to do so without having its agreement.

Essentially, there are two categories of concern. The first is the environmental impact of historic and ongoing radioactive discharges from Sellafield into the Irish Sea. The routine operational discharge levels have fallen considerably in recent decades and discharge monitoring data show that levels are far below those at which any impact on human health might be expected.

I took the opportunity at the first available occasion, two weeks after being appointed Minister, to meet the UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Mr. Huhne, and was very satisfied with the level of engagement he has on this issue. He understood the worries, in particular those of the people who live on the east coast of Ireland. Equally, he understood the Irish position, namely, we want Sellafield to be closed.

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