The Green Party has expressed disappointment in the Environment Minister Sammy Wilsons refusal to proactively discourage local authorities from importing nuclear waste from England for burial here.

Green Party Assembly Member Brian Wilson said: “I had hoped that Northern Ireland would follow the example of the Scottish Executive which has refused to allow nuclear waste to be stored on Scottish land. At the moment it would appear that our Environment Minister is happy to allow local councils to change the long standing nuclear free status of Northern Ireland. This is clearly a case of a Minister offloading his responsibility.”

In 2002, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the previous Assembly commissioned an Energy Inquiry which concluded that Northern Ireland should remain nuclear free and that the substantial government subsidies to the nuclear energy industry should be redirected to the renewable energy industry.

Assembly Member Wilson said: “It seems to me that this current administration is attempting to reverse the very clearly stated policy of Northern Ireland which is categorically opposed to nuclear.”