asked the Minister for the Marine whether Ireland will be supporting the other North Sea States which are party to the Oslo Commission in their move to terminate ocean incineration by 1995 and sea dumping of industrial waste by December 1989 at the convention in June 1988.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Sea Dumping.
35.
The position which Ireland will take at the forthcoming meeting of the Oslo Commission in June 1988, regarding the moves to stop incineration and dumping of wastes at sea is under consideration at present.
I thank the Minister for his long and considered answer. There are many points which, with your permission a Cheann Comhairle, I would like to raise on this question and I will be very brief on the next question.
I would like to ask the Minister of State or the Minister, Deputy Daly, as a member of the Government if he is prepared to advise our representatives at the Oslo Convention, or the Joint Oslo-Paris Convention which I understand will be taking place also in June, whether we will be supporting the move to terminate ocean incineration, as eight of the other North Sea States have done, and if he will be supporting the moves of all the other North Sea States to end sea dumping of industrial waste by December 1989. I would like him to be a bit more forthcoming. This is the beginning of June and the Government must have in mind what they intend to do and what advice they intend giving officials who attend these conventions. Would the Minister advise me whether he supports the inclusion of the Irish Sea on the agenda of the next North Sea Ministers' Conference, which is part of this overall question?
The Deputy, as a former Minister, will appreciate that I do not feel we should make known to the world today precisely the views we will express at the conference in Oslo——
We are not playing poker.
——nor how we are going to approach this. I must point out that last year, after we assumed office, the Ministers at the North Sea Conference made a declaration agreeing to terminate the option of incineration in the North Sea by 31 December 1994. However, at our request, an addition was inserted in the declaration to the effect that none of these wastes would be incinerated in other marine areas or disposed of in manner that would cause harm to the marine environment.
Anywhere?
I did not attend the North Sea Ministers' Conference. We were represented by a senior official of the Department of the Marine. This Government have adopted the view that incineration of waste should only be allowed where there is no environmentally better option available. Up to the present we have maintained that the incineration option should remain as other land based alternative methods of disposal may in some cases be more harmful to the environment or impractical. Our technical advisers have also informed us that incineration at sea does not present a hazard to marine environment. Our views have also been influenced by the fact that there are no common user land incinerator sites or toxic dumps in Ireland. Toxic waste is exported from Ireland to the United Kingdom and the continent and some of this waste has been incinerated at the North Sea incineration site.
The House will be aware that the Spanish authorities have recently notified the Oslo Commission of their proposal to designate a new marine incineration site in the Atlantic some 300 miles off the south-west coast of Ireland. The commission in turn notified Ireland under the prior consultation procedure. The site proposed is a circular one some 60 miles in diameter off our south-west coast. Of course, the Spanish do not need our approval because this site will be outside our territorial waters but the Government are particularly concerned at this proposal and we are seeking further information. Until such time as we receive further information in this regard, we can make no further comment. We are extremely worried.
In relation to that matter, have we, in fact, a principled stand as a nation against incineration of organo-chlorine waste generally in our waters? We objected to the Spaniards' proposal to incinerate material 300 miles south-west off our coast, but there has been a more recent application from them to incinerate in the North Sea. Because that is further away from us and less likely to cause us problems, perhaps, we apparently have not objected. It would look as if we are selective in our objections. If, as the advice to the Minister suggests, incineration of organo-chlorine waste at sea causes no harm to the marine environment, why do we object to the Spanish proposal for 300 miles off our south-west coast? There is major inconsistency and lack of principle in the Government's stance on this matter.
I hope that I detect wrongly from the Deputy's remarks that there is an inference that we should not be doing this, that if we are not objecting to incineration in the North Sea it is logical that we should not——
The Minister will not tell us what he is doing.
Nobody knows what the Government are doing.
The Deputies are aware of the regulations in relation to Priority Questions. A Cheann Comhairle, we are doing your job.
I would be happy if the Minister would tell me what he is doing.
On a point of order, is it not a part of priority questions that the Minister answers them?
That is not a point of order. I want also to advise the House, and especially the Deputy who has some questions tabled here, that I want to dispose of the remaining Question No. 36 in the name of Deputy Doyle, within the prescribed time.
Two minutes will suffice for that.
I am anxious to reply. We debated this question on the Adjournment some few weeks ago. We are particularly worried about the Spanish proposals, particularly so when they are looking for permission to use an area some 300 miles south-west of Ireland. One must ask the question, why there and not nearer their own doorstep?
Why in the sea at all?
I realise the importance of the seas around us. We largely depend on the fishery industry in this country, after agriculture. We are seeking further information from the Spanish authorities on the alternative land base disposal methods considered by them. We are also asking them to consider alternative sites on their own doorstep and not on ours. We shall consider the Spanish response, in consultation with the Department of the Environment, the Department of Energy and the Department of Industry and Commerce. There will also be a full technical evaluation carried out by the Department of the Marine's technical experts. It will be my intention not to agree to any proposal which would harm the marine environment around our country.
A final question.
Does the Minister not accept that at the forthcoming Commission meeting the support we receive from other nations in relation to our stand on the discharges from Sellafield might depend on our support for their position in relation to ocean incineration and sea dumping? That is a most important point. Have the Minister or the Department of the Environment considered the option of recycling instead of sea dumping and incineration? There are now other alternatives, as pointed out by the London Dumping Convention.
The question of recycling is one which is being considered by the various Departments involved. In the practical situation facing us, we are not prepared to give our support to the dumping of waste on our doorstep.
Question No. 36.