Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 21 Apr 1998

Vol. 489 No. 6

Written Answers. - Sellafield Discharges.

Eamon Gilmore

Question:

217 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she was represented at, or made a submission to, a recent public consultation on an application by British Nuclear Fuels Limited for revised authorisation at the Sellafield site; if she will publish any submission made by the Irish Government to the public consultation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9347/98]

Minister of State at the Department of Public Enterprise (Mr. Jacob)

The Deputy will be aware that in January 1998 the UK Environment Agency began its eight week public consultation process into an application by British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) for a revision of BNFL's existing certificates of authorisation in respect of the disposal of gaseous and liquid wastes from the Sellafield complex.

Ireland, as an interested party, was invited by the UK Environment Agency to submit its views on the application. To this end, my Department, last month, forwarded a submission to the Environment Agency detailing Ireland's concerns about the proposed variation in the Sellafield discharge authorisations. In summary, my Department's submission re-iterated Ireland's concerns about the UK's nuclear installations, its opposition to the Sellafield operations and its objections to any increases, however small, in the atmospheric or liquid discharges from Sellafield and from any UK nuclear facility. While the significance for Ireland in radiological terms of the proposed revision of BNFL's discharge authorisations is likely to be small, my Department stressed that any additional contamination of the aerial and marine environment is totally unacceptable.

I am arranging to have copies of my Department's submission to the UK Environment Agency placed in the Library of the Houses of the Oireachtas for the information of Members.