Joe O'Toole (Independent)

There is certainly no environmental argument in its favour. Nothing is as likely to drive Irish people mad as listening to the polite, plummy accents of people from Sellafield who try to tell us that there is no environmental risk from the plant and that nuclear energy is a safe and environmentally clean way of producing electricity. That argument does not work. Sellafield is the dominant polluter of the Irish Sea and that fact must be dealt with. I would like to be able to add with certainty facts concerning Sellafield's carcinogenic impact on the Irish population, including skin and other forms of cancer. At different periods, surveys have been undertaken on various parts of the east coast but they seem to have come up with conflicting reports. Nonetheless, the evidence produced by a number of investigative programmes on RTE showed without doubt that Sellafield had a problematical impact.

It is impossible to discuss Sellafield without balancing the argument by examining alternative methods of producing energy. One way to demolish the economic argument for Sellafield is by taking a strong line in favour of alternative energy sources. I have raised, both in the House and privately with the Minister, the fact that there are no financial supports or tax incentives for wind energy here. Ireland is the only country in western Europe that does not provide such support for that alternative energy source. When the issue of wind energy was raised recently in the House, a spokesperson on the Government side said, "But isn't wind energy for free? Why should we be paying any money for it?" That was an honest reaction from the other side of the House but I wonder how far we have to go to convince some people of the need for wind energy projects. It is in all our interests, as well as being an investment in our future, to ensure that wind production is given the go ahead. Last Sunday morning, I heard an interesting discussion on this matter between Dr. John FitzGerald and Mr. Eddie O'Connor. The latter was a serous loss to the public service.

I want to debunk the arguments against wind energy. Wind farms may be unattractive but we should be prepared to put up with them. They may affect our skyline but as long as they are producing environmentally safe, green energy we should support their use.

Opponents of wind energy say that in Ireland the wind only blows 33% of the time. That may be so in some locations but it is blowing 90% of the time in others.