asked the Minister for Industry and Energy if there have been any discussions with Britain on the proposed construction of nuclear plants in Anglesey and Windscale, both of which are within 100 miles of the Irish coast.

According to my information a nuclear plant has been in commercial operation at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey for some ten years. I am not aware of any proposal to construct a further plant on that island.

With regard to the second part of the question, I assume the Deputy is referring to a proposal to extend existing reprocessing facilities at Windscale by the construction of an additional plant. This proposal was the subject of a public inquiry in 1977 which was attended by an officer of the Nuclear Energy Board. The discharge of radioactive substances from the Windscale plant is subject to regulations which conform to international radiation protection standards. The Nuclear Energy Board maintain close liaison with the UK nuclear regulatory authority which ensures that we are kept fully informed of any developments which are likely to affect radioactivity levels in the Irish Sea.

In relation to the Nuclear Energy Board's monitoring and review, would the Minister be good enough to give us some details of the number of times on which officials from this board have visited Great Britain and particularly the Windscale plant over the last three years?

That is a matter for a separate question. If the Deputy puts it down to me I will be only too glad to give him the information.

Will the Minister reconsider his last answer on the basis that his reply is based almost completely on the matters of his apparent satisfaction with the Nuclear Energy Board's attitude to this issue? I consider it a reasonable supplementary. Would the Minister not agree to answer how precisely the Nuclear Energy Board do their job in this respect?

That is the subject matter for a separate question. If the Deputy wants me to give all the times and all the information that is available from the various discussions that take place, he should put down a question and I will be only too glad to supply the information.

Is the Minister not perturbed that there are proposals to construct two nuclear plants in Anglesey and at Windscale? Will his Department now enter into direct negotiations with his counterpart's Department in England in order that he and the country can be assured that there can be no danger from nuclear contamination or leaks to this country?

As I have already stated, I am not aware of an additional plant being built at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey. There is one there for ten years and I have no information on an additional plant to be built there. I have information on an extension of the facilities at the Windscale plant and I presume that is what the whole question was referring to in the first instance. We are all concerned about the possible danger to fishermen in the Irish Sea in relation to the pollution of the waters. I have been pressing this matter with the Nuclear Energy Board because I have read the reports which were the basis for the Deputy's question in the first instance. The Deputy and every other Member of the House can be assured that we are very concerned to ensure that the necessary regulations are being adhered to and that no damage is being done.

Will the Minister indicate on how many occasions he has met the Nuclear Energy Board and how many occasions he has directly written to them or sought information from them?

That is a matter for a separate question and if the Deputy wants to put it down he will get the answer.

Did the officer of the Nuclear Energy Board who attended the inquiry to which the Minister referred in his reply attend it merely as an observer or did he participate in the proceedings of the inquiry?

It is not clear from the information available to me if he attended to participate in the proceedings. I will have that matter investigated and I will communicate the information to the Deputy.