Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern, to the House. This issue has arisen several times since I entered the Seanad. We have continued to raise the subject as often as possible because it has become a real security, environmental and health risk to the people of this country.

I commend the Government motion. It is clear the Government put a lot of work into the issue, which was a central plank of its election manifesto and programme for Government in 2002. We have lobbied politically and pushed every available angle to achieve the closure of Sellafield. Unfortunately, the plant remains open and it appears it will do so for a long time to come.

I commend the Government on taking the legal action which has brought this issue to centre stage. Although the case taken through the tribunal of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was not successful, the judgment recommended that the Irish and British Governments should discuss improved co-operation and consultation in regard to the MOX plant at Sellafield. This resulted in the visit by the RPII to the Sellafield plant last September, a trip that brought some useful information into the public domain.

Having said that, there are still major concerns regarding the plant in Sellafield. Another part of the recently agreed procedures between the Irish and British Governments was notification of accidents in the plant. However, after the recent major leak of radioactive material — enough to fill two typical family living rooms — it took three days for the RPII to be informed of the matter and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government was not told of the incident by its British counterparts, via the British Embassy, until four days after it happened.

I encourage the Government to place as much pressure as possible on the United Kingdom to address this serious discharge. It is not good enough. Any accident in Sellafield needs to be relayed to the Irish authorities immediately. We cannot allow a system to be introduced that will see information pass through a chain of diplomacy before we are informed. The Irish people deserve better; we deserve to be the first to be told. It should be remembered that London is further away from Sellafield than Dublin, yet we had to wait for the information to be relayed to us from the British capital. There should be direct contact between officials in Sellafield and Dublin. There is no need for information to go from one pillar to another before we hear of it.

When compiling its report on Sellafield, the RPII noted that its British counterparts did not disclose their assessments of a threat of terrorist attack for reasons of security and the institute reported its serious concern. It might have understated the case in this regard. How can we expect to deal with a disaster without the co-operation of the British authorities? We do not have access to information that would show the potential main problems and the aspects which would be of greatest concern to the Irish people. It is rather weak for the British authorities to hide behind the excuse of security reasons. The British Government is not the only one that would have to deal with the implications of a terrorist attack should one occur. Britain would also enjoy the benefit of being removed from the danger, unlike us on this side of the Irish Sea. The British authorities must have far more respect for our situation in this regard and not hide behind flimsy excuses. They cause more fear by suggesting they do not know what would happen in the event of a terrorist attack.

Some of the information put into the public domain by the National Cancer Registry is also a cause for concern. I am not a doctor or a medical expert, but it is odd that the registry published a report stating that the increased incidence of cancer in County Louth cannot be attributed to radiation from Sellafield. According to the registry the higher cancer rates in the county are more likely linked to factors such as smoking, diet and sun exposure. Its central argument is that smoking is the only shared risk factor for the cancers found in higher numbers. However, this statement is shortsighted. Nuclear radiation affects everything from the food we eat to the air we breathe and even our simple physical development. Did the National Cancer Registry take a deeper look at why diet in County Louth is different or why more people there are contracting cancer through smoking? Radiation possibly weakens people's immune system and perhaps this makes them more susceptible to cancer in County Louth rather than being the specific cause. However, it would appear that the only environmental difference between County Louth and other parts of the country is its proximity to Sellafield. This is a case of scientific research not seeing the wood for the trees.

I welcome the Government motion and urge the Minister, his Department and colleagues to ensure the good work and links that have started are maintained and that the desire to shut Sellafield remains top priority. Such a motion should be proposed every so often so that we can reinforce the concerns expressed by many.