Vol. 472 No. 4
153 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the political action, if any he intends to take at the highest level in Anglo-Irish relations to attempt to secure the closure of the Sellafield Nuclear Reactor and the THORP complex; and the political action, if any, he intends to take at EU level to attempt to secure the closure of the complex. [23476/96]
I refer the Deputy to my answers to Question No. 403 of 2 July and Nos. 86 and 87 of 24 October 1996 which clearly set out this Government's position in relation to Sellafield.
The Deputy will be aware that the Government has engaged in a multi-faceted campaign to minimise the risk posed by Sellafield. This involves recourse to diplomatic contacts, bilateral discussions with the UK authorities and participation in international fora responsible for nuclear safety matters. This campaign will continue in the interest of eliminating the threat posed by Sellafield.
154 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communication his views on whether the planning applications for THORP ought to come under the remit of the EU Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment in view of the fact that the permission granted for the Sellafield THORP processor was only outline permission; and the way in which he intends to insist on an environmental impact assessment for the whole Sellafield complex, including the high level waste tanks. [23477/96]
In 1978, following a wide-ranging Windscale inquiry under Mr. Justice Parker, full planning permission was granted to BNFL by the UK authorities for the construction of the THORP Plant. The EC Directive 85/337/EC of 1985 dealing with Environmental Impact Assessment did not take effect until 1988 in the UK. Therefore, the THORP plant did not come within the terms of the 1985 Directive.
Notwithstanding this the Government in 1993 took part in a public consultation process and at that time it was requested that an EIA be undertaken prior to the commissioning of THORP. Subsequently, in March 1994 the UK High Court confirmed that the EIA Directive did not apply to the THORP project. It is a grave disappointment, therefore, that despite Irish and other objections THORP was allowed to proceed without an EIA.
In the circumstances, I do not envisage any further action relating to planning procedures or EIA matters at present.
