asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if he has been in contact with both the British and Japanese responsible authorities involved in the shipping and reprocessing of nuclear waste at the Windscale plant in North-West England, with a view to ensuring that Irish maritime and related environmental protection interests are fully protected; and, if not, if he will indicate if he or any other Government Minister proposes to contact the British and Japanese authorities.
Written Answers. - Nuclear Waste.
474.
As far as the Windscale plant is concerned, the Deputy will be aware that there has been contact at official level between the appropriate Irish and British authorities. In this connection, I would refer the Deputy to the reply by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on 4 May 1978 to a question addressed by Deputy Browne (see Official Report, Volume 306, No. 3, columns 416-418). Arrangements have been made for the exchange of information at official level on a continuing basis.
So far as concerns the shipping aspect, which is my particular area of responsibility, the conditions governing the transport of dangerous goods, including nuclear materials, by sea are regulated by the terms of the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1960, which has been drawn up under the auspices of the responsible specialised UN agency, namely the Inter-governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation (IMCO), and to which Ireland, Britain and Japan, as well as virtually all maritime nations, are signatories.
In addition, IMCO has drawn up a very detailed code, in several volumes, entitled the IMCO Dangerous Goods Code, which covers all categories of dangerous goods, including nuclear materials, which are liable to be transported by sea. This code, which is applied by Ireland, Britain and Japan, makes detailed provisions in regard to the packaging, labelling, handling, and stowage of dangerous goods during the course of their being transported by sea.