I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 25, 35 and 46 together.
I wish to state at the outset that this country made significant written and oral submissions to the European Court of Justice in the case referred by the Administrative Court of Strasburg, France, which has become known as the "Cattenom Case". The proceedings concerned the proper interpretation of Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty. The plaintiffs included the relevant regional and local authorities in France, the Federal Republic of Germany and Luxembourg. The Governments of Portugal and Luxembourg as well as Ireland intervened. The European Court adopted the submission of Ireland to the effect that the Commission should be notified of the plans to dispose of radioactive waste before the member state involved authorises the disposal.
Since the judgment of the Court of Justice was delivered on 22 September, 1988 my Department have been in consultation with the Attorney General's Office about the implications thereof for our future strategy.
These recent events are significant and, I believe, beneficial to our overall expectations in this area. I intend that these developments will be thoroughly evaluated without delay with a view to deciding the next appropriate step to take. It is premature, however, to speculate what this step should be.