Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 Mar 2000

Vol. 517 No. 1

Written Answers. - Nuclear Power.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

75 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if the EU nuclear agency, EURATOM, was paid £55 million in 1995, £57 million in 1996, £61 million in 1997, £89 million in 1998 and £92 million in 1999 from payments made by the Government; and if she will consider withholding this money in future to ensure it is spent cleaning up nuclear pollution in view of the assistance given by EURATOM to expanding Sellafield and other nuclear installations. [9143/00]

Minister of State at the Department of Public Enterprise (Mr. Jacob)

Ireland is a party to the EU Treaty and as such we must pay our contribution to the EU budget. Euratom is financed directly from the general EU budget. There is no separate contribution from Ireland towards the budget of EURATOM.

Responsibility for administration of the budget contribution is a matter for the Minister for Finance and I am therefore unable to comment on the figures cited in the question.

The Government cannot, as proposed by the Deputy, withhold its contribution from the EU budget, regardless of how we feel about what the Union is financing under the auspices of a particular Treaty.

This Government's policy is to steer EURATOM's activities towards nuclear safety and radiological protection. In fact, EURATOM has been active in both of these areas. For example, EURATOM Directive 96/29 which lays down basic safety standards for the protection of workers and members of the public from the dangers of ionising radiation represents a major piece of EURATOM inspired legislation in the area of radiological protection. I expect to sign into law on 13 May next an order which will give effect to this directive in Ireland. In addition, EURATOM has become a contracting party to the additional protocol to the 1977 agreement between EURATOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. The Government has approved the text of the Containment of Nuclear Weapons Bill. This Bill, if passed by the House, will enable the Government to ratify the additional protocol.

The Government will continue to work through the various EURATOM groups to ensure, in as far as the Treaty allows, that EURATOM's focus is on nuclear safety rather than nuclear promotion.