I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 83 together.
Senior officials from my Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) meet twice yearly with their counterparts from the United Kingdom (UK) through the UK-Ireland Contact Group on Radiological Matters. The matter of the storage and disposal of radioactive waste, and in particular the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) project, whereby this material is stored in an underground facility, is a standing item on the agenda for the Group. At the last meeting of the Group in May 2022 developments in relation to the GDF project were discussed including the seabed survey.
Following this meeting Nuclear Waste Services provided a briefing on the sea bed survey project to officials from my Department and the EPA. The GDF project is still at a relatively early stage and a site has not yet been identified to host it - currently four sites in England are under consideration. The question of a transboundary consultation will not arise until later when a site is identified and detailed plans established. Ireland will be formally consulted at this time on any possible transboundary impacts and will be in a position to make any appropriate intervention.
My officials will continue to monitor developments and to engage with their UK counterparts, at national and regional levels, to ensure that our views in this matter continue to be represented.
