Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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278. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the State has received communication from the UK Government in respect of the UK National Policy Statement for nuclear power (details supplied); if so, when the communication was received; the nature of the communication; if a copy of same will be made available; the way in which this communication was handled by his Department; the response that issued in respect of same; if this response will be made available; if no response issued, the reason therefor; if Ireland is being formally consulted by the UK on this matter; if not, if the State is seeking to assert such consultation rights; if not, the reason therefor; the proposals being made to provide for public consultation on this matter by the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14467/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department received correspondence from the UK authorities on 7 December 2017, informing it of the carrying out of a public consultation on the process and criteria for designating potentially suitable sites in a new National Policy Statement for nuclear power projects with over 1GW of single reactor capacity for the period 2026-2035, and stating that the Department could make a submission in the matter by 15 March 2018.

As preparatory work for a policy statement for future nuclear power projects does not engage the requirements of the UN Convention on assessing environmental impacts in a transboundary context (the Espoo Convention) or the corresponding requirements of the EU Directives relating to environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment (SEA), I have no function in relation to the public consultation concerned. My Department, therefore, forwarded the UK correspondence to both the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, which has responsibility at national level for nuclear policy and radiological protection, and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, for appropriate attention.

Arising from separate correspondence from the UK public authorities in relation to public consultation on a different draft national policy statement, my Department is awaiting a response to its request for confirmation of the UK authorities' position on the likely significant effects of the preparatory work for a policy statement for future nuclear power projects on the environment of other States and the consequential issue of whether transboundary consultation under the SEA Directive is required.