James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I support Senator Brian Hayes in his call for a debate on the Sellafield nuclear facility. There is much public disquiet in Ireland concerning the manner in which the facility has reported incidents and accidents in recent times and the weak response by the Government to such incidents. In the interests of our people's safety, the time has come for all political parties in the State to take this issue to the European Court of Justice because it has serious implications for the entire Irish community. We want this facility closed once and for all in the interests of the safety of our people. A catastrophe is waiting to happen if we sit on the sidelines.

Will the Leader invite the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Coughlan, to the House and arrange a debate on a grant aid package for farmers who want to invest in waste storage facilities to comply with the new EU nitrates directives? As we know, farmers with fewer than 20 units cannot qualify for this grant aid at present. The Minister's own county has many such farmers. We must have a debate on this urgent issue.