Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 9 Mar 1995

Vol. 450 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Radiation Emissions.

Mr. D. Ahern

I thank the Chair for giving me the opportunity to raise this issue and the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for coming in to respond.

I have raised previously this issue of the alleged radiation emissions from British Army Border look-out posts in the south Armagh area. It has been ongoing for many years and has been the subject of a number of reports by eminent specialists in this area, including a Mr. Coghill and a Mr. Royds, in which they expressed concern about the level of emissions from look-out posts which they believe is unnecessary. The British Army has indicated that microwaves, radiowaves and infra-red rays are emitted from these posts but that the level is well below the internationally recognised safety threshold. The people in the area, however, have their suspicions about this and while I do not wish to add to them if they are unfounded, there have been a lot of unexplained circumstances in the area. One general practitioner in Crossmaglen is concerned about the number of people coming to see her with problems that she relates in some way to the emissions from these checkpoints.

When I raised this matter on a previous occasion there was an ongoing conflict in the area and I suppose, from the point of view of the British Army, there was a need for these checkpoints. However, the people living in the area would not agree. Despite the fact that we have had peace for the past six months the checkpoints remain. The people in the area want these turrets removed forthwith as well as the various other equipment causing emissions. If it is logical to withdraw troops from the streets of Belfast, it is logical also to withdraw the troops and their turrets from the Border areas. I made this case on a previous Adjournment in regard to a Border incursion.

I travelled to Armagh some weeks ago for the episcopal ordination of Fr. Sean Brady and I was stopped three times along the route. My car was actually buzzed at one stage by two helicopters. It is a fallacy, therefore, to say that the Army presence is being reduced because the reality in those areas is that it is still there.

I diverge from the topic I wished to raise merely to make the point that as we have had peace for over six months, there is surely a case for the authorities here to ensure that the British remove these turrets and the surveillance equipment as soon as possible. They are no longer necessary and perhaps the Tánaiste would concur with that.

If these are to remain for the foreseeable future — and I hope they will not — I ask the Tánaiste and his colleague, the Minister for Health, to request an independent examination of the emissions from these turrets. I make that suggestion only if the turrets are to remain, which I hope will not be the case. Perhaps the Tánaiste and the Minister for Health will have co-operation from the authorities on the other side of the Border in this investigation. If this is done it will allay the fears not only of the people in South Armagh but of the people in my constituency of North Louth.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

I thank Deputy Ahern for raising this matter on the Adjournment. I understand the worries people have both in the Deputy's constituency and in South Armagh. We raised this issue previously with the British authorities through the Joint Secretariat and were told that the equipment used by the Army in South Armagh is not harmful to health. Our own experts in these matters, including the Department of Health and the Nuclear Energy Board, have given us the same opinion. They are satisfied that there is no evidence to indicate that this equipment gives rise to health hazards. That is the expert opinion and it is important that people living in North Louth-South Armagh should be aware of this view.

People are worried when they read about health risks from one source or another. That is perfectly natural. Nobody wants to live or work in an environment which poses significant danger to health or well-being. The public is well aware of such concerns nowadays and it is important that public authorities should be able to assure people as far as they can so that there is no unnecessary worry, especially on such a sensitive matter as this.

I know that a particular report, that by Dr. Roger Coghill last year, renewed the worries which people in the area of South Armagh-North Louth have regarding Army surveillance equipment in Crossmaglen. The Department of Health here has examined the report very carefully. The South Eastern Health Board in Northern Ireland has also looked at it. All the health bodies covering the Louth-Armagh areas continue to keep a close watch on all health statistics and consult each other when reports, such as that by Dr. Coghill, are made public. All these bodies do not agree with Dr. Coghill's conclusions for various reasons.

It is important to remember that the health authorities have all relevant statistics for cancers and other diseases, locally and nationally, and can compare smaller population samples with the larger ones, which is very important when drawing conclusions of this kind.

On the basis of the health statistics available to them, the health authorities are satisfied that the surveillance equipment used by security forces in Crossmaglen and other areas along the Border is not detrimental to the health of the population of South Armagh and North Louth. I understand there is not any evidence to suggest significant change in the pattern of disease presentation in the area.

The South Eastern Health Board in Northern Ireland concludes. I understand, that the recent report offers no authoritative evidence to suggest a link between electromagnetic fields and cancer or brain haemorrhages. It strongly contests the report's finding that people in the Crossmaglen area are three times more likely to suffer brain haemorrhages compared with the rest of Northern Ireland. The data on all death from cancer and brain haemorrhages in the Crossmaglen area between 1986 and 1993 show that mortality rates were below the expected levels based on data from the whole of Northern Ireland.

There have been reports in the media and elsewhere over the years regarding the dangers of radiation. As the Deputy knows, the Department of Health continues to monitor this question carefully here. People are understandibly worried, especially when they read contradictory opinions. A great deal of research has been ongoing internationally on this question for many years. The health authorities here draw on this work. They point out that the general body of evidence to date has not established a casual relationship between electromagnetic radiation and cancer.

I hope this will help to allay fears and worries among the people of South Armagh-North Louth. The two Departments of Health will keep the situation under close scrutiny and will consult as and when necessary.

The Deputy mentioned the expected consequences of the ceasefires. With the peace process now well under way, we hope that the difficulties experienced by people in Border areas through the presence of the security forces in large numbers and a related security installations will be greatly reduced. A number of positive steps have already been taken including the opening of previously closed cross-Border roads and the recent dismantlement of the patrol base at Kilturk. We hope that further changes will follow so that for the people of Crossmaglen, as for others living in Border areas, these problems will quickly become a thing of the past. In the meantime, Deputies can be assured that my Department will continue to follow closely developments in these areas.

The Deputy raised his own personal experience of his trip to Armagh some weeks ago. I will take up that matter with the authorities because we have had many reports in the past few months that that problem had been alleviated. I will certainly raise the issue because we all hope for the peace dividend which will allow people to travel North-South and vice versa without interruption which should be the norm these days.