Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 1 Feb 1996

Vol. 460 No. 8

Written Answers. - Offshore Dumping Allegations.

Eric J. Byrne

Question:

36 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for the Marine the information, if any, he has received from the British Ministry of Defence following the most recent revelations regarding offshore dumping in Beaufort's Dyke; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2141/96]

Minister of State at the Department of the Marine (Mr. Gilmore)

I am very concerned following the most recent revelations regarding the Beaufort Dyke dumpsite in the North Channel between Scotland and Northern Ireland. The revelations to which the Deputy refers are contained in a report of a survey carried out recently by the Scottish Office around the dumpsite.

The report, which is currently being studied in my Department, confirms that some dumpings of munitions have taken place outside the confines of the charted dumpsite. This finding represents a very serious situation and, given gas pipe laying works in the area, might explain the source of phosphorous devices which were beached on the Scottish and Donegal coasts during the period October to December 1995.

On the other hand it is reassuring to note from the findings that analysis of edible fish and shellfish showed no significant pollution and that analysis of seabed sediment showed that the levels of heavy metals were similar to the safe levels elsewhere around the coast.

As the Deputy is aware, the Minister of State and I have been in contact with the UK authorities since last October on the issue of munitions dumpsites in waters around Ireland. We have sought an urgent meeting with Earl Howe, UK Under Secretary of State for Defence and Lord Lindsay, Minister for Agriculture and the Environment at the Scottish Office, to discuss the report findings and to develop mechanisms for the review, monitoring and management of the Beaufort Dyke and all other munitions dumpsites which exist in waters around Ireland. We expect that this meeting will take place shortly.

On the international front we are seeking to have this issue and that of all other munitions dumpsites addressed through the Quality Status Report (QSR) mechanism of the OSPAR Commission. I welcome the intervention of the EU Commissioner for the Environment who has indicated that she intends to raise with the UK Government whether there are issues in relation to the dumpsites which could be solved at community or international level.

I assure the Deputy that we are taking every possible action to get a satisfactory resolution to these issues.