Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 27 Mar 2001

Vol. 533 No. 3

Written Answers. - Sellafield Plant.

Ivor Callely

Question:

102 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the level of discharges of radioactive waste from British Nuclear Fuels reprocessing plant at Sellafield, England; the actual radioactive contamination of the Irish marine environment arising from such discharges; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7888/01]

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

I refer the Deputy to my response to Parliamentary Question No. 88 of 13 February 2001 regarding the marine radioactivity monitoring programme carried out by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland.

Details of the level of discharges of radioactive waste from the Sellafield plant and radioactivity contamination of the Irish marine environment arising from such discharges in respect of the years 1998 and 1999 are set out in the RPII's report on Radioactivity Monitoring of the Irish Marine Environment 1998 and 1999 published by the RPII in September 2000. The monitoring data for the year 2000 is available on the RPII's website – www.rpii.ie. Data for the first quarter of this year will be posted on the RPII's website as soon as it is available.

As I pointed out in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 88, it is the view of the RPII that the doses received by the Irish public through the consumption of seafood, walking on the beaches or engaging in any other marine based activity are low and do not constitute a significant health risk. Nevertheless, the continued contamination of the marine environment from the Sellafield plant is totally unacceptable and I am continuing to exert maximum pressure on the UK authorities for the cessation of nuclear reprocessing activities at Sellafield and of radioactive discharges from the plant and, indeed, for the cessation of all nuclear activities at Sellafield.