asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy the international agreement or arrangements which exist for the inspection of nuclear plants in one state by officials of a neighbouring state where a possible hazard to residents of the latter state exists, if Ireland has acceded to such arrangements and if not, if he would favour such arrangements and take steps towards making them during his EEC presidency.

I am not aware of any international agreements or arrangements for the formal inspection of nuclear plants in one state by officials of a neighbouring state. In practice, however, a great deal of informal contact, including visits to installations, is maintained between the national authorities responsible for safety arrangements in nuclear plants. I have no grounds for considering that the adoption of formal arrangements is necessary or appropriate and I doubt if an initiative in this matter during the Irish Presidency of the EEC would produce worthwhile results.

Would the Minister agree that it is quite possible that radioactivity, either arising in high concentration as a result of an accident, or on a general basis because of continuing operations, could spread from one country to another? Will the Minister also agree that there should be a definite legal right of inspection by people in countries affected but not benefiting from it?

In practice they do inspect.

Will the Minister tell us the number of times that Irish personnel have inspected the premises in the UK which are nearest to this country?

I do not know.

That is a separate question.

Do they do so regularly?

They have done so from time to time but I do not know the details.

They do not do so regularly?

The British authority are concerned about the British people, too.

They are not directly concerned with us.

They are not but I find it very hard to envisage any form of accident in a power station situated in Britain which would affect Ireland and not Britain.

Does the Minister agree that as a sovereign State we should have the right to inspect these premises in so far as they affect this country?

On the Continent of Europe numerous such stations are located close to land frontiers and the situation is quite different there from that which exists between Britain and Ireland where the nearest station to us is 60 miles away.

In view of the written reply which the Minister gave to me a few weeks ago showing that there is one station 60 miles away, one 85 miles, and several others within a hundred miles or so of the Irish coast, will the Minister agree that we should know exactly what is happening there and what the danger is likely to be, having regard to the alarm which people have expressed at a suggestion that an Irish station would be erected at Carnsore?

We know what is happening.

The Minister said in his reply that no provision was made for inspection but that the Nuclear Energy Commission would look into the matter. If that is the situation, we do not know.

As a matter of principle does the Minister consider it a responsible attitude in relation to the discharging of his responsibilities, to rely almost exclusively on the actions of another Government?

——which have an interest in the manufacturing of nuclear plants.