Vol. 300 No. 8
asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if the attention of his Department has been drawn to reports of the effect on fish stock in the Irish Sea through the dumping of nuclear waste material there; and if he will comment on the matter.
11.
asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if his Department monitors pollution levels in the Irish Sea; and if his attention has been drawn to reports of dumping of nuclear waste materials in that sea by a neighbouring country.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 11 together.
The Nuclear Energy Board whose function it is to advise me on nuclear energy matters and who maintain a close surveillance of the radioactivity levels in the Irish Sea, state that the current levels do not represent a hazard to the public in this country.
I am advised that liquid effluents containing very small quantities of radioactivity are discharged into the Irish Sea from Britain, principally from the Windscale plant, but I have been assured by the Nuclear Energy Board that no highly radioactive liquid wastes or solid radioactive wastes are discharged. Furthermore, no dumping of radioactive material from ships is carried out in the Irish Sea.
I am further advised that radioactivity levels in the Irish Sea are constantly monitored by the United Kingdom authorities. In addition, a limited monitoring programme undertaken by the Irish National Radiation Monitoring Service in recent years has now been taken over and expanded by the Nuclear Energy Board to include not only radioactivity measurements of the water of the Irish Sea but also of the fish and other possible food chains. The board have the co-operation of the Department of Fisheries in the latter activity.
My Department are fully aware of the press publicity and various comments on the potential effects of radiation on fish in the Irish Sea, but I have been advised by the Nuclear Energy Board that preliminary results of radioactivity measurements on samples of fish recently obtained by the board from catches in the Irish Sea confirm the data obtained from the United Kingdom authorities from similar fish samples landed in the United Kingdom. The board have assured me that these results show that the dose rate arising from current radioactivity in the Irish Sea is well within the safe limits recommended by the International Commission for Radiation Protection and does not therefore present a hazard to the public.
Finally, I should like to advert to the fact that all releases of radioactivity into the environment are subject to regulations conforming to recognised international standards, for example the recommendations of the International Commission for Radiation Protection and an EEC Directive for the protection of members of the public from the dangers of radiation.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that, on foot of research carried out by the British authorities last year, the fishermen on the West Cumbrian coast were shown to have an unacceptable level of radiation from caesium-137 in their systems as a result of consuming fish from an area affected by the radioactive material referred to?
I am so aware, but as I have stated, from the information available we are satisfied that the level of the radiation is quite acceptable.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary say if the new proposals for Windscale are also acceptable to the Irish Government?
That is being investigated by the Government, the Minister and the Department.
