Vol. 554 No. 5
1479 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if the Government supports the campaign against Sellafield and the Nuclear Free Irish Sea Flotilla; the Cabinet's concerns about the transplant of Mox Plutonium; and the plans to send observers and security to ensure the safety of Irish citizens in the Irish Sea. [15924/02]
The Irish Government takes a leading role against Sellafield on behalf of the Irish people. The Agreed Programme for Government has stated clearly that we regard the continued existence of Sellafield as an unacceptable threat to Ireland; that it should be closed; and that we will use every diplomatic and legal route available to us to work towards the removal of this threat. Ireland shares many concerns with non-governmental organisations in relation to nuclear safety, and respects the right of peaceful protest by such organisations. However, our approach within the framework of, Government-to-Government relationships, has been to take appropriate diplomatic and legal routes to address our objectives. We have taken legal action against the UK in regard to the Sellafield MOX plant under the OSPAR Convention and also under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We have reserved the right to bring a case under EU law also and will rely on legal advice as we actively pursue our con cerns in relation to nuclear safety on all appropriate fronts.
In relation to the specific transports of MOX fuel returned from Japan recently, the Irish Government has made clear its concerns regarding these issues on the basis of the risk of an accident or incident with associated detrimental impacts on the Irish people, the environment and the economy as a whole.
The shipment did not enter or travel in Irish waters. Nevertheless, in the interest of maintaining full preparedness in the event of any accident or incident to the ships, the Government decided that the monitoring and observation services available to the country would be used during the period when the vessels entered the Irish Sea until docking in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.
