Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Fear is spreading rapidly in my home county of Louth that the UK Government is considering dumping hazardous waste in the Mourne Mountains on the border of County Louth. We must nip this in the bud straight away. The UK Government radioactive waste management group is currently looking for suitable properties in Northern Ireland to take hazardous waste and the Mourne Mountains are believed to be on the list.

More than anybody else, the Taoiseach realises that Louth has had its fair share of problems due to hazardous waste, as Sellafield is right across the Irish Sea. The proposal is not acceptable. I hope this is not happening because Northern Ireland has no government for the past two years. Currently, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley, and civil servants are keeping the Departments operational and even today are looking for more power, including for the appointment of the Northern Ireland Attorney General, the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, as well as members of the Commission for Victims and Survivors and the Livestock and Meat Commission. I urge the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste to please help County Louth. We had Sellafield for years and the last thing we want is to have hazardous waste in the Mountains of Mourne.

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