THE British government's rejection of the proposed Nirex nuclear waste plant was welcomed as "a very significant victory" for Ireland by the Minister of State with responsibility for nuclear safety, Mr Emmet Stagg.
He said the announcement vindicated the time and effort the Government invested in opposing the plant.
It also gives heart for the battles ahead. Everyone said that we couldn't have an influence but this demonstrates we can."
Halting the construction of the Nirex facility was "a major plank in Government policy", said Mr Stagg, who presented scientific and legal evidence on behalf of the Government at a public hearing on the facility in Cumbria last year. Until a safe means of disposal was found, he said, nuclear waste should bestored on land at Sellafield.
He added that the Government was now targeting the storage of highly active liquid waste at Sellafield, which had been identified as a major threat to the Irish environment. The Government would also be pushing for the closure of a number of ageing nuclear reactors, built over 30 years ago, and would be putting pressure on the German government to cease deliveries to the THORP reprocessing facility, he said.
Ms Patricia McKenna, a Green Party MEP who also made a submission at last year's Cambrian meeting, said the decision proves "what can be achieved when the Government takes a firm stance against Sellafield.
"It was the first time ever an Irish Government was involved in a planning inquiry in Britain," she said, adding that the approach was "in stark contrast to the way [the Government] dragged its heels in backing legal action against the THORP reprocessing plant".
Criticising Nirex for with holding information on its plans, she said the decision should encourage the British nuclear authorities to follow proper procedures in the future. In the short term, she said the safest way of storing nuclear waste is on land.
Fianna Fail's environment spokesman, Mr Noel Dempsey TD, said the decision was a testament to the success of the "cohesive" Irish lobby. "Apart from this pressure, a significant body of evidence was mounting against the proposal which made it very difficult for the government to sanction the plan," he said.
While he was happy with the decision he questioned whether it had been timed to coincided with the announcement of the general election date, or whether it might be reversed in the future.
He added that the decision would help Ireland's case for the closure of the THORP reprocessing plant. As a nation we have to raise this at a higher level and have a European solution, as I don't see Britain rolling back on its commitment to nuclear fuel," he said.
The Progressive Democrats environment spokeswoman, Ms Marina Quill TD, said she hoped the decision spelled the beginning of the end for Sellafield. She criticised the Government for wasting" the opportunity of the EU presidency to introduce effective measures to control the nuclear operation.
The Louth Fianna Fail TD Mr Dermot Ahern, welcoming the development, said that what was important now was to ensure that whatever waste was present at Sellafield was properly monitored. The decision as a rebuff to the nuclear industry in Britain, which must call into question its further development.
Ms Nania Ahern, Green MEP for Leinster, said that "at last the evidence on the outrageous health and environmental effects of nuclear dumping are being taken seriously".
The executive director of Greenpeace, Ms Claire O'Grady Walsh, described the announcement as "historic" as it goes against all previous British government decisions on nuclear power.
Interested parties from both sides of the Irish Sea now need to sit down and discuss safe ways of disposing nuclear waste, she said.
Ms Mary Kavanagh, one of four Co Louth residents who have taken THORP to court over their safety standards, said it was "a great decision for the Irish people". However, she said, it was unlikely to affect their case.
