A legal action against the Sellafield nuclear plant by a group of Co Louth residents will be funded by the Government, the Dail was told.
Mr Joe Jacob, the Minister of State for Public Enterprise, said the decision was made by the Cabinet on Tuesday and had been discussed on three occasions in the past two months. Residents were being informed yesterday, he added.
The residents had joined the State as co-defendants in the action against British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) and the Minister said he hoped the residents would agree to removing the State as a co-defendant.
"Otherwise we will be in the invidious position of funding this action while defending it at the same time," he said.
He told Mr Emmet Stagg (Lab, Kildare North) and Mr Ivan Yates (FG, Wexford) that he would be meeting the residents in "a matter of days". He fully accepted that research facilities were needed to enable the group to fight the case.
"I will explore with the residents how relevant Government Departments and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland can help with expert advice relating to the research and investigations they wish to undertake," he said.
The Minister added that he would be meeting the relevant minister in the British government within a few weeks about Sellafield and would continue to stress to the minister his aversion to what is happening at Sellafield.