The Northern Ireland situation was not influencing the Government's attitude to Sellafield, Mr Joe Jacob, Minister of State for Public Enterprise, assured the House.
He was responding to a claim from Mr Feargal Quinn (Ind) that successive Irish governments had conspired with their British counterparts to sweep this "life and death" issue under the carpet. "There is a large cabal of officials in the Irish Government service, mainly in the Department of Foreign Affairs, who are simply terrified at the thought of offending the British over Sellafield," said Mr Quinn.
But as far as the Irish people were concerned, the game was up now. The Government would fail at its peril to recognise that fundamental sea change. No matter what it said or promised, the British government was no longer credible over Sellafield.
Rejecting Mr Quinn's Northern Ireland "theory" Mr Jacob promised that a robust approach would continue to be taken by the Government over the controversial nuclear installation. The only concern at the moment was finding an avenue through international law whereby this matter could be pursued to the utmost, he said. Mr Liam Fitzgerald (FF) said it was extremely heartening that there was a strong national consensus over this nuclear menace, inside and outside the House. Sellafield had been threatening environmental terrorism on the Irish people for decades.
Mr Fergus O'Dowd (FG) said decommissioning of the plant would not result in the loss of thousands of jobs there. Such a process would ensure continued employment of personnel for many years to come.
Dr Maurice Hayes (Ind) said the falsification of records at Sellafield was criminal. "I believe that bad management is endemic in that place." While tackling this problem, it was also necessary that we should clean up our own act here. "I am not sure that we can put our hands on our hearts and say that all the emissions from Irish power stations are not creating acid rain in Scotland, Norway and elsewhere."