Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the discussions on Sellafield and nuclear power which took place at the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference meeting in Hillsborough Castle in July 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34484/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I discussed the issue of nuclear energy with Secretary of State Hain at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference on 25 July of this year. We reaffirmed the commitment of the two Governments to the effect that nuclear power stations will not be built on the island of Ireland. In this context, we agreed to work together to maximise the contribution of renewable and sustainable energy to the future needs of the island.

As regards Sellafield, the UK side are in no doubt as to the Government's position in relation to the risks posed to Ireland by the facility. Our views in this regard have been expressed strongly and repeatedly, including at the British-Irish Council Summit in London on 2 June this year which I attended with my colleague, Mr. Dick Roche T.D., the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. At that meeting we emphasised the Government's concerns about Sellafield and nuclear safety generally.