§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates, and where,(a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have met the Irish Government to discuss the British Nuclear Fuels plant at Sellafield since 5 October 2001; and which Ministers and which Irish Government departments were involved in each meeting. [43473]
§ Margaret BeckettMinisters and officials have been involved in a number of meetings since 5 October with Irish Ministers and officials at which the British Nuclear Fuel Plant at Sellafield was discussed, either as the main subject of the meeting, or as part of a wider agenda. The meetings, venues, and participants, were as follows:
Ministers
25 February 2002–British Irish Council meeting (Edinburgh, Scotland)—Michael Meacher, (Minister for the Environment) (Chair), Noel Dempsey TD (Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Ireland), and Joe Jacob TD (Minister of State. Department of Public Enterprise, Ireland)—plus Ministers from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey. 4 March 2002—Environment Council (Brussels, Belgium)—Margaret Beckett, (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), Michael Meacher, (Minister for the Environment), Noel Dempsey TD (Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Ireland).Officials
5 October 2001—0SPAR Arbitration meeting (London)— DEFRA, Other Government Departments, and Department of Public Enterprise (Ireland)19 and 20 November—International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) Hearing (Hamburg, Germany)—DEFRA, Other Government Departments, Department of Public Enterprise (Ireland) and Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (Ireland)11 December 2001—with ITLOS Provisional Measures (Dublin, Ireland)—DEFRA, Other Government Departments, and Department of Public Enterprise (Ireland) and Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland.7 February 2002—British Irish Council pre—meeting (London)—DEFRA, Devolved Administrations, Department of Public Enterprise (Ireland), Isle of Man Government15 February 2002—UK Ireland Contact Group on Radioactivity (London)—DEFRA, Other Government Departments, Devolved Administrations, Department of Public Enterprise (Ireland),372WRadiological Protection Institute of Ireland (Ireland), and the Isle of Man Government. This particular group of officials meets every six months.15 February 2002—Discussion of draft Irish/Isle of Man paper on "Sellafield and Radioactive Waste" (London)—DEFRA, Other Government Departments, Devolved Administrations, Department of Public Enterprise (Ireland), Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, and the Isle of Man Government.