Government accused of negligence over threat posed by seven new British nuclear plants

Posted by Bronwen Maher on November 17, 2009 at 03:45 PM

Nessa Childers has said that the Irish government’s attitude to the safety threat posed by seven new British nuclear power stations “borders on negligence.”
 
Ireland’s only member of the European Parliament Environment Committee was responding to reports published in a Sunday newspaper which revealed that nuclear safety regulators in France, Finland, Britain and the United States have all expressed serious concerns in relation to safety aspects of the plants which are expected to be in operation from 2018.
 
“I am urging the Taoiseach to directly address this matter with the British Prime Minister as a matter of urgency. I have also asked the European Commission for its opinion on this issue and if it is satisfied that these new nuclear plants will conform to established EU and international standards.”
 
Nessa Childers said, “I represent tens of thousands of families on Ireland’s east coast from Louth down to Wexford. I would like to be able to assure them that the Irish government and the agencies charged with environmental and nuclear protection are closely monitoring the building of seven next generation nuclear power stations on our doorstep. Troublingly, this does not appear to be the case.
 
“However, it has been reported that the Irish authorities have not engaged with their British counterparts at any level whatsoever on this issue of enormous concern for Irish people. The lack of engagement by Irish agencies thus far leaves a lot to be desired and is bordering on negligence.
 
“These new plants will be constructed using a fast-tracked planning process which experts believe is deeply flawed. The entire process and the haste in which these facilities are to be rolled out raises serious questions about the British government’s commitment to safety.
 
“It seems to me that the Irish government has failed to learn the lessons of Sellafield and the long campaigns to have Irish voices heard and taken seriously by that plant’s operators and the British authorities.”

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