Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 101: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the representations he has made to the British authorities about the decision announced in December 2004 regarding their decision to start accepting nuclear waste from around the world for burial in the UK; if he has sought a list of the locations at which the material will be buried and the nature of the material involved; if an assessment has been made of any potential risk to this country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3921/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel undertaken at Sellafield includes operations in respect of substantial overseas contracts. Under these contracts there is an obligation on the UK to repatriate the recovered nuclear materials and also the substantial radioactive waste products to the country of origin. The wastes include so called high level waste, HLW, and intermediate level waste, ILW. It remains UK Government policy that radioactive waste produced as a result of reprocessing in the UK will be returned to its country of origin.

In July 2002, the UK Government announced it would consider the issue of intermediate level waste substitution policy and commissioned a study of the issue which was subsequently opened to public consultation between January and April 2004. My Department made a submission to this consultation which, inter alia, outlined in very clear terms this Government's view that the continued reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel is a principal factor in the generation of nuclear waste and that the Government is totally opposed to the continued reprocessing of spent fuel at Sellafield.

The decision announced in December 2004 on ILW substitution relates to the retention and long-term management in the UK of ILW arising from the reprocessing of overseas spent nuclear fuel. This will be compensated by the sending to the overseas customer of an additional amount of HLW, equivalent in radiological terms to the ILW retained. There is currently no proposal by the UK to bury the ILW to be retained in the UK arising from any proposed ILW substitution arrangements.

The long-term arrangements for radioactive waste management in the UK are currently under consideration by the committee for radioactive waste management, CoRWM, an independent body established by the UK Government. It was set up to review the options for managing the UK's radioactive waste, including ILW, and provide a long-term solution for this problem which protects people and the environment. CoRWM is tasked with providing options to the UK Government for the management of this waste by July 2006. As a part of this process CoRWM has been conducting consultations and holding meetings with relevant stakeholders. My Department will continue to monitor closely the work of this committee and utilise the consultation process to articulate the concerns of the Irish Government about any proposals arising for the management and disposal of radioactive waste in the UK.

I understand the decision by the UK Government on ILW substitution policy will result in radioactive waste arising from foreign reprocessing contracts being returned to overseas customers a considerable number of years earlier. Based on the substitution of HLW for an equivalent, in radioactivity terms, amount of ILW, it will in broad terms be environmentally neutral. It will also involve a six fold reduction in the number of radioactive waste shipments by British Nuclear Fuels Limited, BNFL. Our concerns on current transports through the Irish Sea are well known and while the proposal to reduce such shipments is welcome, the reduced number of shipments arising under this policy will be of HLW, which would be considered as potentially a greater risk.

The Government has continuously articulated its opposition to the reprocessing operations at Sellafield, which are environmentally untenable and only serve to add to the generation of additional nuclear wastes for which the UK has yet to decide on a long-term management option. The Government will, therefore, continue to use available avenues, both diplomatic and legal, to bring about an end to reprocessing operations at Sellafield.