Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 20 May 1992

Vol. 419 No. 10

Adjournment Debate. - Radioactive Substances in Irish Sea.

Miss Flaherty

I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for giving me the opportunity of raising this important matter this evening. I regret that the Minister for Energy is unable to be present but I welcome the presence of the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Deputy Harney. I am sharing my time with Deputy Barnes our party spokesperson on the marine, who is particularly concerned about these latest reports.

I am anxious to obtain from the Minister this evening the fullest possible information in relation to the reported incidence of radioactive pollution in seaweed off the Sellafield coast. At this stage I am sure the Minister will have had the Radiological Institute examine the position in order to analyse and assess just how significant is this pollution, its source and causes. I was very concerned, as is Deputy Barnes, that newspaper reports indicated that British Nuclear Fuels have no idea how there could be such a level of contamination in seaweed.

I should like to ask the Minister specifically what were the levels of the radioactive pollution found and what was the extent of that pollution? Was there any incident report or is there, at this time, any reasonable explanation as to how this should have occurred? The Minister will be aware that her party and the Minister in particular, promised the world at large that he and the Irish Government would do all in their power to have the Sellafield reprocessing plant closed. At this point it appears that the Minister has given up on this objective. Therefore, it behoves the Government to maintain a particularly watchful brief in relation to the environmental impact of this enormous reprocessing facility on the other side of the Irish Sea. Will she say whether any tests have been conducted on this side of the Irish Sea to ascertain whether there is pollution of concern here? Have our shorelines been examined? Is the Minister satisfied with the level of reporting? Was there any kind of incident report or any reporting at EC level?

Mrs. Barnes

I thank Deputy Flaherty for sharing her time with me. I shall concentrate on the implications of this latest report as it pertains to my area, as spokesperson for my party on the marine. What gave rise to most concern was the fact that discovery of this radioactive vegetation on the beaches of the Cumbrian coast near the Sellafield nuclear processing plant was suppressed until it was leaked to the media in the form of a British Nuclear Fuels report, or so it was reported. It was also reported that the Sellafield environmental team had found that vegetation along the Irish Sea coastline two months ago. Perhaps the allegation contained in the reports we have read is wrong — I should like to think it is because, if not, it is frightening. Not alone was such fact suppressed for quite a long time but it would appear a discovery was made only because of a specific leak from a British Nuclear Fuels report. If that is true we on this side of the Irish Sea have real cause for concern because that would mean there was deliberate suppression of information. Again, as was recorded, this new plant life is alleged to have contained ruthenium, zirconium and niobium, established to have come from effluent emanating from that nuclear installation, that it was that combination leading to the creation of that plant life that was found there.

Apart altogether from the implications for human, plant and animal life the reason we in Ireland would share this concern is that the main oceanic productive areas fishing waters are always located near the coastline where 80 per cent of production of biomass takes place. Therefore, the narrow Irish Sea and its coastline provide most fish, plant life and biomass. Obviously if they become contaminated by radioactive pollution then its implications are indeed serious.

I welcome the fact that the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment will reply to this debate because I know she has a real interest in the third point I want to make, which is that fish stocks do not observe national boundaries nor can it be maintained that any one country owns such fish stocks. All countries have a responsibility and obligation to protect and conserve what are the international interdependent fruits of world oceans and the countries they surround. That is why I contend that the pollution at Sellafield, any attempt to conceal such incidence and the level of information we receive must lead us to believe that the most urgent area must be tackled at European level, after ratification of the Maastricht Treaty, pertains not alone to an environmental policy of great strength but the establishment of a commission to ensure that European Union, in its strengthened condition, can collectively take on an erring member state to ensure that we in Ireland are not constantly on the defensive or attempting to fight a lone battle. Approximately a year ago it was advocated at European level that a Eureka programme in the field of marine science, technology and law should be implemented as a matter of priority. It is my hope that the Minister of State may be able to inform us that that will be a reality.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Miss Harney)

I thank Deputies Flaherty and Barnes for raising this issue on the Adjournment. First of all I want to apologise for the absence of the Minister for Energy who is in Brussels on official business. As Deputies will know, this matter was raised in the Seanad last week when the Government expressed, as I will now, our concern at the discovery once again of radioactive substances on the west Cumbrian coast of the Irish Sea close to Sellafield.

The unexplained and unexpected discovery of vegetation with such high levels of contamination must obviously be of concern to us all. As Deputy Barnes said, fish know no boundaries; neither does pollution, which in transboundary. The Earth Summit which will be held in Rio de Janeiro in a few weeks' time will discuss, in the main, the international nature of pollution. Although this matter will not be discussed at this summit, pollution from whatever source has to be of concern to all of us and, in particular, to me as Minister of State at the Department of the Environment.

As Deputy Flaherty said, British Nuclear Fuels have told us that their scientists are not yet aware of what caused this contamination. Therefore, I am not in a position to say what it is. Nevertheless, I will give the House the background to this issue. British Nuclear Fuels carry out monitoring of the tide lines on the west Cumbria coast close to Sellafield. During March, April and May of this year a highly radioactive contaminated substance like a coral which had the appearance of grass was discovered. I do not know when the authorities here become aware of this discovery and my brief from the Department of Energy does not give this information. I will discuss the matter with the Minister for Energy and find out when the authorities here become aware of this discovery.

The substance is a known substance; it is a known organism in the marine environment. It contains the same characteristics as the discharge which comes from Sellafield. Therefore, one does not need to be a genius to be able to link the two substances, despite the fact that British Nuclear Fuels do not seem to be able to tell us the cause of the contamination. I think most people would be concerned first about the dangers to human beings. I understand from the Radiological Protection Institute that human beings would be in danger from the substance only if they were exposed to it, held a piece of it, or it was close to their skin for more than 30 hours. I believe it is only at that stage they would reach the exposure danger levels.

In relation to Irish waters, the Nuclear Energy Board and the Radiological Protection Institute, a body which had a rather long gestation period and which I am happy to say is now in being, carry out regular monitoring and sampling along the seashore, particularly of seaweed. I am happy to be able to tell the House that last week they took a sample of similar seaweed from Dublin Bay and have told me that there is no contamination of this level and that the level of radioactive contamination does not differ from levels taken any time during the past two years. They have assured the Minister and the Department of Energy that there is no danger to the Irish shoreline and no radiological danger from Sellafield.

I have to say that it remains the Government's position to see Sellafield closed down. As a Government we do not favour nuclear power, not because we have any inherent ideological problem with it but because of the dangers of nuclear power stations and the problems in dealing with waste from them. This remains the position of the Government. We have said repeatedly that what we need at European level is an independent inspectorate. We can shout all we like at the British and other countries but they will not really listen to us. We need an independent inspectorate to be set up urgently at European level who will look at the transboundary problems caused by pollution and at the safety aspects of nuclear power stations. The Minister made this clear as late as last October at a European Council meeting and on two occasions in the European Parliament. He also made it clear to the previous Secretary of State for Energy and the former Secretary of State for the Environment, Mr. Heseltine, the present Trade and Industry Secretary, who has responsibility for energy.

With regard to the initiation of a legal case, the Deputies will be aware of the position taken by my party, which is still our position, in relation to this issue. We would like to be in a position to take a legal case, as would the Government. However, it would be highly irresponsible for the Government to take a legal case simply for the sake of it or as a PR exercise. First, it would be extremely embarrassing if we did not win; second, it would probably act as an endorsement to Sellafield if we were to lose and, third, it would cost enormous amounts of public money. I would not be in favour of the Government engaging in a PR exercise for the sake of it. The Government have been advised by the Attorney General and others that a sufficient case does not exist to take legal action. If the Radiological Protection Institute tell us that seaweed taken from Dublin Bay does not have a high level of radioactive contamination then obviously that is the case and we would not be able to prove any damage to the Irish population or coastline. The Minister has said time and time again — he discussed this with Greenpeace last year in my presence — that if a sufficient case can be shown to him where he has even a 50-50 chance of winning then he would not hesitate to recommend to the Government that we take such action.

The Deputies raised two questions to which I do not have answers. The first was whether there was instant reporting and the second when we become aware of the problem. I do not know the answers to those questions but I will endeavour to get the answers tomorrow and convey them to the Deputies. The new information available to me, which obviously was not available when the debate in the Seanad took place — it took place very rapidly after this discovery — is that the seaweed from Dublin Bay which was tested by the Radiological Protection Institute last week showed no similar radioactive contamination. This should be an assurance that at least we on this side of the Irish Sea do not have to worry about these matters.

Mrs. Barnes

Except for the fish.