asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of the recent sinking of a Russian nuclear submarine and of the emission of radioactivity from this submarine; if he is further aware that the Irish Sea is being used constantly by Russian, American and British nuclear submarines; his views on whether the consequences of an accident in the Irish Sea would be catastrophic for this nation; and the steps he has taken to ensure that such traffic would be banned from the Irish Sea.
Ceisteann—Questions. Oral Answers. - Radioactive Emissions in Irish Sea.
13.
I am aware of the sinking of a Soviet "Yankee" class nuclear powered submarine in 18,000 feet of water about 600 miles north-east of Bermuda on 6 October 1986. Following an inquiry to the Soviet authorities we have been informed that there was and is no possibility of a nuclear explosion on board the submarine or of radioactive pollution of the environment.
The sea between Ireland and Britain is, for the most part, international waters and can be used by the submarine vessels of any country. Ireland's national control ends at the three mile limit of our territorial waters.
The Government are naturally concerned that an accident such as the one involving the Soviet submarine near Bermuda should not occur in the Irish Sea. We, therefore, attach considerable priority to our efforts in the UN framework to promote concrete arms control and disarmament measures aimed at reducing, and eventually eliminating, all nuclear weapons. Ireland supports the continuing negotiations in this field between the two super powers, who possess the largest nuclear arsenals, and hope that agreement can be reached on substantial reductions in these weapons. We believe that this is the most effective means of working towards the elimination of the danger posed by nuclear submarines in the Irish Sea, and elsewhere, bearing in mind that it would not be realistic to expect that any nation would agree to surrender their rights to travel through international waters.
The Government have already taken action in relation to the safety of Irish vessels at sea, and particularly in the seas surrounding Ireland, which has been a matter of particular concern. An initiative that we have sponsored at the International Maritime Organisation aims at focusing attention on the problems posed to fishermen by submarine traffic with a view to securing a halt to incidents which have caused material and personal damage in recent years to fishing vessels in the Irish Sea as well as in other waters. We will be working to secure the acceptance of this initiative at the biennial meeting of the assembly of the IMO in November 1987.
While commending what the Minister and the Department are trying to do in this area, let me ask the Minister if the Government will consider seeking an international convention from the appropriate international maritime organisation which would ban, or at the very least restrict, the operation of nuclear submarines in narrow stretches of water such as the Irish Sea?
About 18 months ago we examined all the various organisations with whom we thought it would be possible to raise this matter. It is quite limited, you will find when you examine it, as to where it can be done. The organisation we decided was the most appropriate, the one that was meeting soonest and might be the most effective, was the International Maritime Organisation. The Deputy will understand that there will be a conflict here between the necessity for "secrecy" as seen by the super powers who own these submarines——
What did the Minister say?
By its very nature the submarine is a secret boat. Our concern was that while travelling underwater in what we recognise are international waters they no not damage either by pollution or, as happened in two cases in the Irish Sea, by dragging under boats. We will be striving to get a reconciliation between those two points. I would like to see what the Deputy has referred to, that in narrow strips of water such as the Irish Sea all submarines would travel on the surface as is required when they travel in national waters. That is one of the points we will be putting forward. Given the nature of the relationship between the super powers and the fact that the Irish Sea is a waterway for submarines going up to one of the NATO bases in Scotland, I hope that the disarmament talks will have progressed to the stage by the time conclusions are reached that nuclear weapons will be no longer on board submarines, although I hold out no hope on that. However, we must continue to press that around our Irish coasts submarines do not endanger either our waters or our fishermen.
The Minister gave a similar reply to my question some weeks ago. Has he made or does he propose to make any direct approaches to the British authorities, the Soviet authorities or the American authorities directly on a bilateral basis seeking agreement on the lines he has outlined in relation to travelling on the surface?
We have made these suggestions to the three powers concerned at the time the last boat was lost in the Irish Sea, the response being more or less what I have given to Deputy Collins, that they are international waters, they have a right to sail in them and submarines sail submerged. If one Super Power has a submerged submarine the tendency is for another one to tail it and shadow it to see where it is going and what it is doing and so on.
Can they not do such surveillance from satellites now?
Probably they do, but I am not well up in these matters, I am delighted to say, and I hope never to be. I have no concern in them at all except to protect Irish interests, inasmuch as I can.
Will the Minister undertake to make fresh approaches to all three on this issue?
I have been intending to do so and I will.