Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I ask the Leader to remind Members to keep their eyes on Sellafield this summer. A friend of mine who googled the word "Sellafield" could not believe how many results on implications for Ireland this search returns. We are downwind of Sellafield. To suggest that for nine months the people in Sellafield did not notice a leakage of 83,000 litres is unbelievable. I mention this because we are in danger of getting tired of listening to such reports. Sellafield is a Chernobyl-type threat to us and we have not paid enough attention to the problem. The danger is that during the next few months we may even forget the problem exists. We must keep an eye on the situation.

I was inspired by the President of the European Commission, Mr. Barroso, yesterday. He was enthusiastic and provided a vision of Europe for the future. There are some challenges to him because he has not managed to get the economy right. An article in today's edition of The New York Times states: ". . . the only question is whether Germany and France will face reality: Either they become Ireland, or they become museums." It is a very interesting article and clearly identifies that the way of the future is the way Ireland is going. Let us make sure that during the next few months we keep our eyes on the challenges facing this country.