Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he intends to meet with the Northern Secretary, Mr. Hain, with a view to receiving a solemn commitment that no nuclear power plant will be built on the island of Ireland under the UK energy review. [22445/06]

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when he intends to raise the UK energy review, and the possibility of additional nuclear power plants being built in the UK, with like minded countries on the nuclear issue within the EU. [22446/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 80 and 107 together.

Together with my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, I met with the Northern Secretary, Mr. Peter Hain at a meeting of the British — Irish Council on 2 June. We took the opportunity to emphasise that the Irish Government would be strongly opposed to the building of any nuclear plants on the island of Ireland. The Northern Secretary responded, acknowledging that there was no support, North or South, for sitting a nuclear power plant on the island of Ireland.

The United Kingdom is currently considering its future energy needs and reviewing its capacity to meet them. As part of this Energy Review, a consultation document was launched on 23 January 2006 by the UK Minister of State for Energy. Entitled Our Energy Challenge: Securing Clean Affordable Energy for the Long Term, this document states that the review will consider whether nuclear power should continue to be part of the mix of energy supplies for the UK in the future. While the review is not yet complete, Prime Minister Blair has clearly indicated his view that nuclear new build in the UK should remain very much on the agenda.

My Department, in conjunction with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland engaged in the consultation process relating to the Review. The submission made, which covered a number of issues of concern to Ireland, reiterated the Government's strong opposition to nuclear in general and to the siting of any nuclear plants on the island of Ireland in particular. We are monitoring the progress of the UK Review closely.

In regard to the European dimension, the Green Paper on a European Energy policy published by the European Commission in March recognises that each Member State will have to meet its energy needs in accordance with choices based on its own national preferences and taking into account sustainability, competitiveness, energy efficiency and security of supply. This applies to Ireland which is non-nuclear and to all other Member States, some of whom, like the UK, choose to pursue the nuclear power option.

Ireland co-operates on a regular basis in the EU with countries who are like-minded on the nuclear issue and will continue to do so. However, the issues arising for Ireland in relation to decisions taken in the UK on nuclear issues are of significantly greater concern to Ireland because we share the Irish Sea and are close neighbours.