James Bannon (Fine Gael)

The neglect over the issue of Sellafield is unbelievable. I was there as part of a delegation from an Oireachtas committee two weeks ago and there is evidence of incompetence and complacency among some members of the staff. It is a disaster waiting to happen and we have an obligation to protect the citizens of this State in a fair manner. I call for the closure of Sellafield in the interests of health and safety. It is important that the Government has an independent observer present on a 24-hour basis in Sellafield. We must pursue this case to the International Court of Justice to ensure that Sellafield is closed once and for all. Last week when we arrived at Sellafield, we were told in the presence of personnel at the facility of an accident that happened and went undetected. There was a gash in a pipe which was transporting radioactive material into the Irish Sea. This scenario is not fair on our citizens or on those in Britain and it will be people power which finally brings about the closure of Sellafield. It is up to the Minister to come to the House to inform us of the action he intends to take against Britain on the matter of Sellafield.