Deputy Stanley said: "I have written twice to the Ceann Comhairle requesting that the Dáil debates the recent report into the threat to Ireland from Sellafield. On both occasions the request was denied. The report was commissioned as part of an agreement between the British and Irish governments. Part of the agreement in 2007 was that the Irish government withdraw their case against Sellafield, which they duly did. The report took four years to complete at a cost of €4.8 million to the Irish taxpayer. Its contents have been kept secret and the government is refusing even to debate the report.
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"An edited executive summary was circulated in November last. The report concludes that incidents at the Sellafield site resulting in the release of radioactive material would result in 'no observable health effects in Ireland'. This totally flies in the face of an earlier damning report from the UK’s National Audit Office (NAO). The NAO report says that the cost of decommissioning the plant has spiralled out of control, and some facilities used to store waste have deteriorated. The NAO report states that the treatment facilities and some of the older storage tanks on site 'deteriorated so much that their contents pose significant risks to people and the environment'.
"I will continue to raise this issue at every opportunity. This is an important report and the public have a right to know what they have paid for and how it reached its conclusion."
(CD)
