Trevor Sargent
Ceist:167 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the Government's views on the European energy policy promoting nuclear fuel as a clean energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - European Energy Policy.
While nuclear power may be perceived by a number of member countries of the European Union as capable of making a contribution towards energy diversification and reducing conventional emissions, others take the view that the industry carries its own problems as long as current concerns in relation to safety, waste disposal and decommissioning are not satisfactorily resolved. In any debate within the European Union on the incorporation of nuclear energy into the energy balance, these questions must be addressed and the Government has repeatedly emphasised this point at every appropriate EU forum, given our heavy emphasis on nuclear safety and radiological protection. The end result is that each member state is free to determine its own position in relation to the role of nuclear energy in its own energy mix.