Cullen optimistic over UN court ruling on Sellafield

ENVIRONMENT Minister Martin Cullen yesterday insisted a ruling by the UN Court of Arbitration was an important step forward in the Government’s campaign to close Sellafield.

The court rejected an Irish claim for access to information about safety at the MOX (mixed oxide) fuel reprocessing facility at Sellafield under the Ospar Convention.

But Mr Cullen pointed to the court’s ruling that the Government had a right to sue in the international tribunal saying the way was paved for further legal action.

The British Government had argued Ireland had no right to sue through the tribunal.

“We’re stronger today than we were yesterday. The tribunal rejected Britain’s view it had no right to hear the case,” said Mr Cullen.

However, he did acknowledge that as a result of the ruling they will not have access to commercial information to see exactly what the economic benefit is of having the MOX plant in the first place.

Mr Cullen said he had already made initial contact with the Attorney General and was considering the Government’s next move.

“I’ve had preliminary discussions with him. He’s going to look at all of this to see where we go next but clearly we want to pursue this to whatever jurisdiction we can,” he said.

Mr Cullen said the Government was determined to continue its campaign against Sellafield until the nuclear facility is forced to close.

“The bottom line for Ireland now, and I believe internationally, is the ending of the discharges into the Irish Sea.

"The fact of the matter is that there is no economic or environmental justification for what is happening at Sellafield, particularly with MOX, and we will pursue the ending of all those processes through whatever forum we can,” he said.

“Our immediate concern now without question is to end discharges into the Irish Sea because as everybody knows once the discharges go into the sea they remain there for hundreds of thousands of years,” he added.