andMr. Quinn asked the Minister for Energy if the Government has been requested by other member states of the EC to consider the possibility of Ireland as a possible location for the storage of nonreprocessable nuclear waste emanating from nuclear power stations in other EC countries and if he will make a statement on the matter.

No request has been received by the Government from other EC member states to consider the possibility of storage of their nuclear waste in this country.

If such a request was received, would the Minister turn it down in the interest of the people of this country?

The Deputy may take it that, on the face of it, that would be the Government's instinctive reaction. However, I am not prepared to give a definitive answer to a hypothetical question.