Charlie O'Connor
Question:294 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the actions he has taken in respect of Sellafield; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25757/03]
Written Answers. - Nuclear Plants.
The Irish Government is continuing to take a proactive role in opposing the risks to health and the environment associated with the operations at the Sellafield nuclear plant. An Agreed Programme for Government has stated that we regard the continued existence of Sellafield as an unacceptable threat to Ireland and that it should be closed safely. We are continuing to use every diplomatic and legal route available to us to work towards the removal of this threat.
The Government has taken a demonstrable initiative in pursuit of this policy objective through its separate legal actions in relation to the Sellafield MOX plant under the OSPAR Convention and also the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS. These actions challenged operations at the Sellafield MOX plant on economic, legal, environmental and safety grounds. The OSPAR tribunal issued its award on 3 July 2003. Although the award did not grant Ireland a right to gain access to the confidential information withheld from the UK public consultation papers because the tribunal deemed that the information sought was not environmental information, the tribunal established an important international legal precedent, namely, that Ireland has a right under the OSPAR Convention to access to information on the marine environment, that the UK has an obligation to make such information available and that Ireland has a right of redress under the convention to vindicate its rights to such information.
The provisional measures award and order of the UNCLOS tribunal of 24 June 2003 recommended that Ireland and the United Kingdom enter into dialogue to improve co-operation and consultation between the two Governments and to report to the tribunal on the matter on specified dates. In compliance with the tribunal's order, Ireland and the United Kingdom submitted separate reports to the tribunal on 12 September 2003, setting out the progress to date on discussions towards progressing the tribunal's recommendation. Exchanges between the two Governments at official level on this matter are continuing.
In addition to the legal actions, Ireland has also responded critically to various UK public consultation processes concerning the regulation of the UK nuclear industry covering such matters as the management of radioactive waste in the UK, a review of UK energy policy and the UK strategy for discharges from nuclear installations. Ireland has also been involved in stakeholder talks with regard to the development of the new Nuclear Decommissioning Authority that is being set up in the UK and will continue to use its influence in whatever way possible to ensure the highest safety and environmental standards are adhered to, while continuing to campaign at every level for the ultimate safe closure of the Sellafield plant.