Ireland first became aware of the plans to build a MOX plant at Sellafield in 1993 when a planning application was submitted to Copeland Borough Council. In our response to the council's consultation the Government expressed its concerns about the adequacy of the environmental statement, the economic case for MOX, the security implications of the plant and its obvious interdependence with reprocessing activities at Sellafield. Ireland continued to reiterate these concerns on many occasions over the following years, including by its participation in no less than five separate public consultations in the United Kingdom on the justification for the plant, as required under EU law.