Sir, - The news that British Nuclear Fuels and the Siemens engineering group are presently negotiating with a view to merging their nuclear operations is not to be welcomed.
If such an amalgamation were to be successful, it would provide British Nuclear Fuels with access to over £900 million sterling for its nuclear activities in Britain.
This is not desirable from an Irish perspective. If this merger is approved by the British Government and the European Commission, the Siemen's engineering group will contribute all its nuclear business to the new merged company. This would evidently have the effect of a greater concentration of nuclear industries in Britain.
Clarification must now be sought from BNFL and the British Government on the likely effects for the future of nuclear industries based in Cumbria. Will the Thorp and Sellafield Plants be part of the negotiations for this merger and be restructured in any way if the proposed regrouping takes place?
British Nuclear Fuels and the Siemens engineering group view this matter as a means of maximising profits and cutting losses. In Ireland we view it as a matter of public health and environmental protection.
BNFL must recognise that we need not only clarification and answers on this issue, but that we are demanding them. - Yours, etc.,
From Jim Fitzsimons MEP
Navan, Co Meath.