Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 426: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has raised the issue of Sellafield with the British Government and the British Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron [14504/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 429: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he raised the issue of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in his recent contacts with the British Prime Minister, Mr David Cameron. [15480/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 430: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he has satisfied himself that the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant will be subject to EU wide stress tests.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15750/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose the take Questions Nos. 426, 429 and 430 together.

Ireland recognises the right of States to determine their own energy mix, including whether or not to develop nuclear power. It is our expectation that, where a State chooses to develop a nuclear power industry, this will be done in line with the highest international standards with respect to safety and environmental protection. Safety must be the first priority for all existing or planned nuclear facilities.

With regard to Sellafield, the Government continues to bring pressure to bear on the UK authorities through a number of channels to decommission and close the existing Sellafield reprocessing plant on the basis that it poses an unacceptable risk. In addition to the reprocessing activities conducted there, Sellafield is the location of a large inventory of radioactive waste which will require active management by the UK authorities for many years into the future. From Ireland's perspective, it is important that this waste inventory be managed as safely as possible and that any hazard or risk it poses be reduced as a matter of priority.

I took the opportunity to raise Irish concerns in relation to Sellafield with the UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Huhne, when I met him on 26 March 2011 in the margins of an Informal Council of EU Environment Ministers. In our discussion, while I acknowledged the ongoing constructive dialogue between the Irish and UK authorities on nuclear safety issues, I re-iterated the concerns of the Irish Government in relation to Sellafield. Against the background of recent events at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, I emphasised the importance of the Ireland/UK Bilateral Notification Agreement in place for the early notification of nuclear accidents or incidents. I also expressed the view that Sellafield should be covered by the "stress testing" arrangements for nuclear plants in the EU which were agreed by EU leaders at the European Council on the 24/25 March.

Secretary of State Huhne acknowledged the Irish Government's concerns and indicated his Government's continued support for the ongoing constructive engagement between Ireland and the UK on nuclear-related matters. He also confirmed that the UK will be participating in the development of the proposed 'stress test' to ensure that the robustness of the safety arrangements at nuclear facilities, including Sellafield, are challenged and improved where necessary in light of events in Japan.

This commitment to apply the stress testing regime to Sellafield was recently reconfirmed by the UK after the European Commission and the European Nuclear Safety Regulators' Group (ENSREG) announced their agreement on 25 May 2011 on the scope and modalities for a comprehensive risk and safety assessment of EU nuclear power plants.