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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 27 Jun 1979

Vol. 315 No. 8

Adjournment Debate. - Wylfa Nuclear Power Station.

The nuclear reactor at Wylfa in Anglesea is approximately 60 miles uninterrupted sea from the city of Dublin. Obviously the safety of this reactor is a matter of the gravest importance to this country. There are two reactors at Wylfa, what are known as gas-cooled graphite moderated Magnox reactors using uranium metal fuel rods as the basic fuel. One has been in operation since November 1971 and the other since January 1972. Since the nuclear accident at Harrisburg, there is every reason to be concerned about nuclear safety in this country as in any other. In relation to the Magnox reactor there were problems with the corrosion in the reactors themselves during the development of this type of reactor in Britain. I understand that in Britain they have moved on to a more advanced reactor.

It is a very important point and worthy of note that there does not seem to be any regular system whereby Irish personnel, either from the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy or from the Nuclear Energy Board, regularly visit this reactor which is only 60 miles from our coast. Apparently officials from the Nuclear Energy Board visited the reactor but from inquiries I made it seems that this was on one occasion and some time ago. There is no system for the regular inspection of this reactor by Irish personnel, even though, if there were an accident, it would be of greater danger to the people of Dublin than it would be to the people in the United Kingdom which is further away, notwithstanding the fact that we are not getting any benefit from this reactor while the people of Britain derive direct benefit from the energy produced there.

I understand there are consultations with the personnel of the United Kingdom regulatory agencies. Have our official personnel access to all the information obtained by British personnel in the course of their regulatory activities? I understand that not all the information obtained by these personnel is published in the United Kingdom. Do we get not only the published material about the safety of these reactors but also the unpublished material? Are our agencies independently able to satisfy themselves of that? It is not enough for us to accept the activities of the British regulatory agencies on faith.

Irish health could be at risk in the event of a nuclear accident and there must be Irish personnel responsible to an Irish Minister who can satisfy themselves, independently of anything done by the British personnel, of the absolute safety of this reactor. We cannot afford to accept this matter on faith from people in Britain who obviously have an interest in minimising any concern which might be brought to notice because they have already invested a substantial amount of money in these reactors and do not wish to be proved wrong. We do not have that commitment but we should have access to that information.

There are other dangers apart from an accident at the reactor itself which usually occurs as the result of a breakdown in the cooling mechanism. There is also a danger that some of the highly radioactive material could escape while in storage. On 19 June 1979 in reply to my Question No. 9, at column 476, volume 315 of the Official Report the Minister said:

Spent fuel containing the highly radioactive waste products is, on removal from the reactors, stored at Wylfa for a period normally less than one year and then transferred in specially designed transport casks to the Windscale Works near Seascale in Cumbria for reprocessing.

Both Wylfa and the Windscale Works are on the Irish Sea. Therefore, any escape of radioactive material from either of these storage points could pose a danger to us. It is worth nothing that radioactive material, similar to that being put in storage in these various places, will remain a potential hazard up to the year 2500 AD. This material does not become safe quickly and the storage of this material will be a matter of concern to Irish authorities for the next 600 years and vigilance will have to be maintained for that period.

On 19 June the Minister admitted that small quantities of low-level gaseous and liquid radioactive effluents were discharged to the atmosphere and the Irish Sea in accordance with authorisations issued by UK authorities through their licensing and control arrangements. In other words, he admitted that radioactive material is being discharged into the Irish Sea. The British will obviously make the case that this radioactivity is of such a low level that it is not a danger to health. However, in theory at least, there is no such thing as safe radioactive material because radioactivity remains in material a long time after it has been discharged, and there is the possibility it will accumulate in the sea into which it is being discharged over a period. While no individual discharge may be dangerous, the accumulation of discharges over a period could create a dangerous situation.

Furthermore, there is evidence that even low levels of radiation can injure health. Studies carried out on people, such as radiologists, who come into regular contact with radiation, show that they suffer some consequences. Therefore, even low level radioactive material being discharged into the Irish Sea could pose a danger to our health. I want to draw the Minister's attention to a report which appears in today's Irish Times, page 13, which reads:

The discharge of atomic waste from the Windscale nuclear plant into the Irish Sea is increasing the risk of cancer among people who consume fish——

Are we talking about Wylfa?

The material from Wylfa is sent to Windscale. In the course of the Minister's reply to my question about Wylfa he said that small quantities of low-level gaseous and liquid radioactive effluent are discharged into the atmosphere and the Irish Sea in accordance with authorisations by the UK.

Is the Deputy talking about Wylfa?

The Minister himself was the first to mention this discharge in the course of the reply which he gave me in relation to my question about Wylfa. He was the first man to bring this matter to the floor of the House and make it relevant in this context. I am merely following the Minister. The quotation continues:

——caught in the area, a report has warned.

The danger comes from Caesium—137, which builds up in plaice, brill, and other bottomdwelling fish living near the end of the discharge pipeline.

I will quote from a book entitled The Energy Question by Gerald Foley, page 181, published by Penguin:

Bass, for instance, produce a concentration of caesium in their flesh which is 1,000 times that in the surrounding water;...

In other words, the radioactivity which is discharged into the water in general trends to become concentrated in the fish and there may be a higher level occurring, as a result of this concentrating effect of radioactivity, in the fish than there is in the water around. As Irish boats are fishing in the Irish Sea, that could create concern.

I am bringing these matters to the Minister's attention, not because I am in a position to judge technically whether the danger is as great as some people might believe. I do not know whether it is as great a danger as some people fear. I am not qualified personally to make a judgment in the matter, but I am qualified to make a judgment about the fact that there does not seem to be any system whereby Irish personnel physically visit regularly and inspect the places where this reactor activity is taking place, the places where the radioactive material is being stored and places where this material is being discharged into the Irish Sea or into the atmosphere, which material, in the case of the prevailing wind being from east to west, will blow over Irish soil. Our Government, our Minister and our Nuclear Energy Board must be involved directly in the safety precautions being taken. The Minister, instead of being unable to answer the question which I put to him when this matter last came up in the House as to when a visit took place by Irish personnel to Wylfa, should be able to say that there is a system whereby Irish personnel visit this plant regularly and to the best of his knowledge a visit took place last month or two or three months ago, and another visit will take place in a month or two.

That would be appropriate to a sovereign State. We are a sovereign State and our citizens in this sovereign State are affected by what is happening. We in this country, with officials responsible to our Minister, must inspect any source of danger to the health of our community. That is not taking place in relation to a nuclear reactor which is only 60 miles from our coast, at least as near to Dublin as the reactor which it is proposed would be erected on our own soil at Carnsore and which is the subject of an extensive public inquiry at the moment. There has been no similar inquiry in relation to safety and the possible effect on health of this reactor.

I raise this matter so that the Minister will be able to initiate the proper precautions. It is not going to be possible for us to get the British to cease to operate this reactor. It is in being and they are going to continue its operation. The best that we can do is to make sure that the precautions are taken to ensure that no danger to the health of Irish citizens is incurred as a result. To do that we must inspect the thing regularly, something which is not being done at the moment. All we are doing is saying to the British that if it is all right for them, it is all right for us and we will accept what they say. We are saying, "if you think it is okay, mate, you know best, even though you are getting the benefit and we are not getting any benefit, even though the reactor is only 60 miles from our coast and about 200 miles from London." That is not the proper attitude for a sovereign State and I hope it is not the attitude which the Minister on reflection will adopt when he is replying.

It is very hard to keep one's sense of balance. Obviously, on the far side of the House the sense of balance has long since disappeared. The Deputy speaks as a member of the Fine Gael Party. I remember reading of times when they were known by other names. They have this habit of changing their labels.

Is this relevant?

This is the second time in the last week or so that I have been in here on matters on the Adjournment. I was here last Thursday on one of these matters and I am here again tonight. It would appear to be a matter of scares, scandals and innuendos on the part of the party on the far side. It is nice to know that the Deputy has discovered that there is a nuclear plant at Wylfa eight years after it came into operation. He says he is not qualified personally to make any comment on it. Having listened to his contribution I can confirm that he is not qualified personally to make any comment whatsoever as to the effectiveness of it. Through his innuendo he talks about 60 miles to Dublin and 200 miles to London. He forgets that there are many major cities a lot nearer than London to the Wylfa plant itself. It seems to be a habit and a developing bad trend on the part of the Deputy's party to disturb and try to distort fact by innuendo and by scares and suggestions.

As has been explained already in the reply given by the Minister on 19 June, all nuclear activities in the UK are subject to very strict statutory controls. This is on behalf of the citizens of the UK but it is also very beneficial to the people of Ireland, and I am sure the Deputy will be delighted to hear that the strict controls are there. I am well aware that the Wylfa nuclear power station in the UK is the nearest to this country and is only 60 miles away from Dublin. I remember mentioning it on the Late Late Show some time in the middle of January.

I appreciate the Deputy's concern and that his heart bleeds to ensure that there is a continuing monitoring safety system at this station. The Nuclear Energy Board, who are the advisers to the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy on nuclear energy, have advised that they are satisfied that the authorities in the UK are taking all steps necessary to ensure safety in the operation of nuclear power stations in accordance with internationally established regulations. The UK authorities have undertaken to notify the authorities here immediately in the event of any incident likely to give rise to concern at any nuclear power station in the UK. It goes without saying that the UK authorities have much more reason for concern than we have in regard to safety in the nuclear power stations operating in their country. This would make sense even to Members opposite.

I should point out again that the closest liaison and co-operation is maintained by the Nuclear Energy Board with the relevant UK authorities and that the close contact which exists between the two bodies ensures that the Nuclear Energy Board are kept fully and promptly informed of any nuclear incidents at the Wylfa station or at any other nuclear power station in the UK.

Officials of the Nuclear Energy Board have visited the Wylfa station and are fully conversant with its operation and safety procedures. I have no doubt that the Nuclear Energy Board are satisfied as to the number of visits made by their officials to nuclear power stations in the UK. Nonetheless, I will have brought to the board the views expressed about the need for regular visits by the board's officials to Wylfa and other power stations in the UK.

As regards waste disposal the position is that small quantities of low-level gaseous and liquid radioactive effluents are discharged from the Wylfa station into the atmosphere and the Irish Sea. The Nuclear Energy Board have indicated that the quantities discharged are, however, very low and not of any significance. Control is exercised over the discharge of effluents in accordance with authorisations which are issued by the UK authorities through their licensing and control arrangements which fully conform to international standards. Low-level solid radioactive wastes produced at Wylfa are normally stored at the station and storage does not give rise to any problem.

The Nuclear Energy Board have advised that the risk at any UK nuclear power station of an incident constituting any significant health hazard in this country is extremely low. The board constantly monitor radio-active waste levels in the Irish Sea and they are satisfied that the levels are well below the limits prescribed by international requirements, despite the bass and other fish mentioned by Deputy Bruton.

A professor at Birmingham University made those statements, not I.

He was not a member of this House. It is disappointing, to say the least, that the Deputy should by innuendo try to terrify people by taking advantage of his position in this House. He should have been more responsible.

The Minister's lack of reply will not do anything to improve the attitude of people.

The Dáil adjourned at 10.25 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 28 June 1979.

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