I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 110 together.
In line with Government policy, the Department of Foreign Affairs has, in the past, made formal, high level diplomatic approaches to the Governments of countries which signed, or which were contemplating signing, reprocessing agreements on spent nuclear fuel with the THORP facility at Sellafield, setting out the concerns of the Irish Government in this area. Germany was among those countries approached.
The Irish position was generally sympathetically received by the authorities concerned and the concerns were then conveyed to the nuclear electricity companies. However, it was pointed out by the Governments concerned that they could not intervene directly in contractual agreements entered into with British Nuclear Fuels Limited, BNFL.
While I do not have any information in regard to such contracts between BNFL and other countries, or their value, I can reassure the House that the Government continues to make known its concerns and its opposition to the reprocessing operations carried out at the THORP facility at every opportunity in the international fora and through direct representations to the UK Government.