asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps the Government are taking to ensure that 690 barrels of arsenic are not dumped from a Finnish tanker into the Atlantic.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Arsenic Dumping.
59.
The Finnish oil corporation Neste Oy initially proposed dumping the waste, contained in about 150 drums, at a site in the South Atlantic about 4,000 miles from the Irish coast. The Finnish Government refused to sanction such disposal on the grounds of possible infringement of the London Convention (1972) to prevent dumping at sea. Our Ambassador to Finland has been informed that the oil company have been instructed by the Finnish Government not to dump the waste anywhere at sea. In view of the fact that the waste has been transferred to a Danish ship under charter to the Finnish company, the Danish Foreign Ministry have been made aware of our interest in the matter. Our Embassies at Stockholm and Copenhagen and the competent authorities at home continue to follow developments closely.
I should add in explanation here that Sweden is accredited also to the protest.
Will the Minister assure the House and the country that this arsenic will not be dumped into the North Atlantic by this Finnish trawler?
The position is that the arsenic is in sealed drums inside the ship and the ship is now on its way back from the Atlantic. It would seem that the situation is now under control.
Suppose the ship were blown up what would the position be?
This is an assumption.
Will the Minister ensure this will not happen?
I am not in a posi-to assure the Deputy that acts of God will not happen, but steps have been taken by the Finnish Government. The Finnish Government have told the oil corporation not to dump the waste at sea and, assuming the ship gets back safely, the situation will be resolved.
One final supplementary.
Opposition Deputies are deciding these days how many supplementaries there will be.
It is not the Parliamentary Secretary's function to decide on supplementaries.
(Interruptions.)
Deputies should not indulge themselves in this kind of cross-talk. It does not add to the dignity of the House.