Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 45: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the results of meetings he has had recently with British Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Mr. Alistair Darling on the issue of Sellafield; if and when there are other meetings planned during the coming year; his plans to reiterate to the British Government the adverse environmental and health consequences that have arisen for Ireland in the past; the way he will reflect the unacceptable nature of Sellafield's existence to the British Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42631/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I should love to join the Minister at the meeting on 9 January.

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy would be very welcome.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Will he agree that the British are now getting ahead of him again, substantially, as regards Sellafield and its reprocessing operations? Does he accept that the proposed new chain of nuclear power plants planned for across England, in particular, will feed Sellafield with waste for reprocessing for at least another generation? Is he aware that people wishing to object to those nuclear power plants cannot do so directly? They have to go through an advocate appointed by the British Government, who will not be permitted to engage, even to the point of giving information to the clients he or she represents, or share any information with the objectors. Will the Minister object to that whole new chain of power plants, because they will feed into and sustain Sellafield for some considerable time to come?

If the Minister so objects, will he accept an advocate acting on his behalf and through him, the Irish people? In the event, will he accept that level of restriction from the British Government? Given the week that is in it, that looks more like a salute to Pinochet than any type of democracy I could consider. I look forward to a brief supplementary.

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I share the Deputy's view that the planning process about to be embarked upon in the United Kingdom is less than satisfactory. It is certainly less open, transparent and democratically acceptable than the Irish system. I have made clear, particularly in my meeting with Mr. Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Education and Skills and the predecessors of Mr. David Miliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, that we do not agree with the build-up policy with which the British Government seems intent on pressing ahead. We have made it very clear that there is widespread opposition, not just in the Government parties, but across the entire democratic spectrum in Ireland. We have made it very clear that there are great concerns here.

We have also made clear to them that we have the right to do so, and, to be fair, they have accepted we have a view that must be factored in. The general issue encompasses the fact that we will continue to build as many alliances as we can on this, and not just across the Irish Sea. There are also concerns among other governments within the European Union. There is an increasing dawning of reality in Europe that the nuclear initiative, whatever else it is, is not the answer to global warming or the energy crisis. It is simply putting off the crisis and imposing on future generations the cost of dealing with energy issues today. The Deputy may feel assured that at each and every opportunity we will pursue the matter, and I am sure we shall have his support in so doing.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister appreciate the level of destruction that is occurring on the eastern seaboard, particularly in my constituency in particular, as a consequence of the whole Sellafield plant and the emissions coming from it? Does he appreciate the urgency of the issue because people are dying in great numbers right across that area and a serious investigation is required to get to the bottom of this?

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I am very sympathetic to the views expressed by the Deputy. These are views I have long shared. As a long-term reality we should all unite to make it abundantly clear to politicians of whatever persuasion in the UK that we do not believe this is acceptable, and neither is it a good solution for them.