Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I move:

That Seanad Éireann commends the Government on the recent developments with regard to Sellafield, in particular the pro-tem order issued by the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that both Governments must exchange information on nuclear safety, and calls for the case to remain at the Tribunal and to continue to be pressed vigorously by the Government.

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gallagher, to the House. I commend him and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen, and their Department on their ongoing battle against Sellafield. The decision to continue a relentless campaign against Sellafield despite the setback of the OSPAR tribunal ruling underlines our determination to defuse this time bomb on our doorsteps. This ruling is disappointing but we can draw comfort from the fact that the OSPAR tribunal decided that it has jurisdiction in such cases and this leaves open the possibility of further legal action. The Minister and the Attorney General must explore every possible legal avenue.