Seanad debates

Wednesday, 2 July 2003

I am a member of the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body to which Senator Mansergh referred and chairman of the sub-committee dealing with Sellafield. Maybe I can cast light on how this issue is being viewed by recounting an episode that took place when an eminent British Labour party MP, Mr. MacNamara and I, Deputies Glennon, Morgan and a Conservative MP, a very committed person, were on the sub-committee of which I was chairman. At the next meeting of the sub-committee the title of chairman had gone and I was now called the rapporteur, a vague term which means one reports on matters but is not quite the chairman. I did not want to make a fuss about it as I did not think it was worth it, but I did ask Mr. MacNamara, the British MP, how I had lost my title between one meeting of the committee and the next. He brushed it aside, even though he is an active and likeable person. We have had two meetings and we aim to meet again in Jersey and Guernsey on Sunday and Monday, to examine the management of waste material in small countries. I regard the work of the sub-committee of the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body on this matter as a fine example of what can be done.

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