andMr. White asked the Minister for Energy if his attention has been drawn to the deep concern of local residents in the Fintown area of County Donegal regarding the proposed uranium mining and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Proposed Uranium Mining.
290.
I am aware of the concern of local residents in the Fintown area of County Donegal at the possibility of uranium mining in the area.
The question of actual mining of uranium in the area does not arise at the present time. Under a licence granted by my Department, a minerals exploration company is engaged in a prospecting programme aimed at establishing the minerals potential of the areas licensed to them in the vicinity of Fintown. Whilst the company has reported positive indications of uranium presence, its work is at a relatively early stage and no firm conclusions can be drawn at present about the prospects of a deposit of commercial proportions being delineated. The licence does not authorise the company to carry out mining operations.
If a commercial deposit is established it will be necessary for a prospective mine operator to secure planning permission from the local planning authority, to obtain a mining lease or licence from my Department and to secure a licence from the Nuclear Energy Board. Before any mining operation could commence, the appropriate authorities would have to be fully satisfied in regard to impact of mining operations on public health and the environment and other aspects of public concern. The adequacy of existing statutory requirements in the interests of public health and protection of the environment will be kept under review and, if necessary, they will be supplemented.
The Nuclear Energy Board, the statutory authority in Ireland in relation to radioactive substances, has advised me that there is no evidence that prospecting operations in the Fintown area, or elsewhere in the country, lead to any radiation hazard. The board is keeping in close touch with prospecting activity in the area and has initiated a programme of measurement of any radioactivity in air, water and soil in the area. Furthermore, to ensure adequate consultation between my Department, the board and other bodies with public responsibility in relation to uranium prospecting, I am setting up a working group under the chairmanship of a senior officer of my Department which will keep prospecting activity in the area under regular review.