asked the Minister for Industry and Energy if he is aware of consistent reports concerning the dumping of radioactive material, including waste, into the Irish Sea; the action his Department are taking in respect of such reports; whether they have carried out a direct investigation of such allegations; if he intends to raise his views in this case with the Government of Great Britain; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Dumping of Radioactive Material.
363.
The provisions of the London Convention preclude the dumping of materials clarified as radioactive wastes in shallow waters such as those of the Irish Sea. It is also highly unlikely that any such dumpings could take place without our knowledge. There are, however, discharges of low level radioactive effluents to the north-east Irish Sea from the Windscale Works in Cumbria. These discharges are controlled within limits laid down by the relevant United Kingdom authorities, namely the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of the Environment. These limits conform to the recommendation of the International Commission on Radiological Protection and the standards established by a Directive of the European Community.
The Nuclear Energy Board, with assistance from the Department of Fisheries, undertake an on-going monitoring programme designed to provide information on the distribution of radioactivity in the Irish Sea and on possible exposure of members of the Irish public. The results indicate that the radiation exposure of a member of the public would be less than 1 per cent of the internationally accepted dose limits. The radioactivity concentrations of seaweeds, sediments and seawater are of no radiological significance.
Preliminary discussions have already taken place about the possibility of concluding a formal intergovernmental agreement between Ireland and the United Kingdom on the question of exchange of information about nuclear installations generally and the possibility of discharges from them.