asked the Minister for Energy if he has yet received a reply from the British authorities to his representations regarding the proposed experiment at the Trawsfynydd nuclear plant in North Wales; if he has received an assurance that the experiment will not go ahead; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Trawsfynydd Nuclear Plant Experiment.
11.
I have received a reply from the UK Secretary of State for Energy, Mr. Cecil Parkinson, MP in response to my letter to him, in which I had expressed in the strongest possible terms the opposition of the Government and the Irish people to the proposed experiment at the Trawsfynydd Nuclear Station which had been planned for 12 February.
Although the CEGB have announced that the planned experiment at Trawsfynydd has been postponed, I have no assurance that they will not seek authority to carry out a cooling experiment at some future date.
I am not satisfied with merely postponing the experiment and I will continue to press for the complete abandonment of any plans for such an experiment. The reactors at Trawsfynydd are part of a series of ageing magnox reactors in the UK which were not designed to meet modern safety standards. They have surpassed their original life expectancy, are known to be suffering from technical deterioration and have had a history of accidents. The Government's view is that these plants no longer meet acceptable safety standards and should be closed down. We cannot accept experimentation with them in order to keep them in operation even longer. I have already made the Government's position on the matter clear to Mr. Parkinson.
The Government are continuing with a review of legal options that may be open to us in the event that the UK authorities decide to carry out an experiment at some future date.
Deputies may be assured that I will continue to take every action possible to press for the complete cancellation of this test.
Do I take it that the Minister has not actually received a communication?
I have.
Has the Minister a list of the plants which would be a cause of concern with regard to age and safety factors? Has he made specific representations in relation to these plants? Could he make the list available to Members? Does he propose to take preemptive legal action to avoid a situation where the British authorities could decide tomorrow or next week to carry out a test of some kind and we would be left standing, with no means of action to prevent it?
The plants which are a cause of concern are the old magnox reactors which have passed their life expectancy. These include Calder Hall and Trawsfynydd, amongst others. I can make a list available to the Deputy. I would ask him not to press me too strongly on the legal position because we are trying to keep our cards as close to our chest as possible. The Deputy can be assured that we are ready to respond to any decision by the British authorities in relation to reactivating this experiment.
Has the Minister taken any action regarding the provision in the Euratom treaty under which Britain must inform the Commission of the details of proposed tests which might pose risks to another country? Is it the case that legal action had been decided upon in principle by the Government if there was not a closure of the magnox reactors beyond their working life? Am I to understand that the Government are proceeding to take legal action against the operation of these magnox reactors since it has become obvious that the British have no intention of closing them?
Regarding the Euratom treaty, I have discussed the matter with the EC Commissioner with responsibility for nuclear inspection, Mr. Stanley Clinton Davis, and he is well aware of the Government's view. He is operating the provisions of the Euratom treaty in relation to the proposed experiment which has now been postponed. We have already involved ourselves in one legal action in Europe, that is, the case of Luxembourg/Saarland versus France. As I have already told Deputy De Rossa, we are proceeding with preparations for legal steps. I am not prepared to go into further detail at this stage.
Do I take it that following the Minister's representations the European inspectorate are proceeding to take an interest in this station and the proposed test?
Unfortunately we do not have a European inspectorate in operation. However, the European Commission are taking an interest. We are pressing very strongly for an inspectorate and I know that Mr. Clinton Davis also feels strongly about it. It is a question of getting it approved by the Commission and by the governments of the member states at the Council of Ministers. The matter is being very strongly pressed by the Government.