Vol. 464 No. 3
18 Miss Harney asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the reason the second international exercise testing of the national emergency plan for nuclear accidents was not held in 1995; and the dates upon which it will next be held. [8144/96]
The national emergency plan for nuclear accidents was finalised in 1991. It is of considerable importance to me and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland that exercises of the national emergency plans are carried out regularly. These are required to ensure that it will function in an emergency.
A major Irish exercise of the plan, called Saferay, was carried out in 1992. Many lessons were learnt during this exercise and were addressed in a further exercise held in 1993. This exercise known as INEX 1 was organised by the Nuclear Energy Agency, NEA, of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD. Based on the experience of INEX 1, an expert group on emergency exercises recommended the organisation of a second international exercise, INEX 2, to be carried out in 1995 or later, taking into account aspects of co-ordination with national programmes in the field of emergency exercises.
INEX 2 is being developed by a programme committee and the NEA was not in a position to organise the first meeting of the programme committee for INEX 2 until October, 1995. Ireland was represented at that meeting and has agreed to participate in INEX 2 along with more than 27 countries, the European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
INEX 2 will comprise a series of exercises to take place in 1996 and 1997. The first of these exercises in which Ireland will be a participant is scheduled to take place towards the end of this year. It will provide an important test of our emergency arrangements.
While no full scale test has occurred of the emergency plan since 1993 the vital co-operative emergency arrangements with our EU partners are tested every six to eight weeks. At least one of these every year includes the transfer of simulated radiological data between EU member states. The last test of the communication system established under the IAEA convention on early notification of a nuclear accident took place in September 1995. Ireland participates in all of these tests and the experiences gained to date have lead to improvements in the international arrangements.
Would the Minister consider it more appropriate to have an annual testing of the procedures under this programme? The Minister informed the House of tests carried out in 1992 and 1993. We have had no test in 1994 and so far there are no plans for a major national test in 1996.
The national emergency plan is tested every eight weeks. Various aspects of the plan are tested at all stages.
I am referring to a full national test.
The full national test referred to by the Deputy cannot take place without the co-operation of 27 other countries, including the United States, Eastern European countries and so on. A committee has been established to organise this full national test which is also a full international test. To say that Ireland, which is not one of the big players in nuclear issues, should organise an annual test of the 27 countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Eastern European countries is nonsense. The Deputy knows it is nonsense because he was a Minister in my Department.
I set it up.
We have every confidence in the Minister.
We should have an annual test.
Perhaps we can deal briefly with Question No. 19 although time is almost exhausted.
