Written Answers. - Nuclear Plants.
Ivor Callely
Question:
16
Mr. Callely
asked the
Minister for Public Enterprise
the progress made in addressing the contamination of the Irish marine environment caused by radioactive discharge from nuclear installations in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[22601/01]
I refer the Deputy to my replies to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 102 of 27 March 2001 and 67 of 20 June 2001.
As the Deputy is aware, the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland – RPII – carries out a marine radioactivity monitoring and research programme, the results of which are produced and published by the RPII in a series of bi-annual reports.
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 which was published by the RPII in September 2000. Monitoring data for the year 2000 and the first quarter of this year are available on the RPII's website – www.rpii.ie.
The significant source of radioactive contamination in the Irish Sea is the discharge of low level radioactive liquid waste from BNFL's nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Sellafield. The RPII has advised me that based on its monitoring and sampling activities to date in 2001, there is no evidence of any increase in the level of radioactivity contamination of the Irish marine environment arising from Sellafield. However, the fact that such contamination should occur is objectionable and unacceptable.
The Deputy may be aware that in 1998 the contracting parties to the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, which includes the UK, adopted a strategy on radioactive substances. This strategy has as its objective the virtual elimination by the year 2020 of all radioactive discharges to the marine environment covered by the convention, which includes the Irish Sea. Ireland took a prominent role in the development of this strategy and work is continuing within OSPAR to achieve the strategy's objective.
Since the adoption of this strategy, Ireland has been actively involved at subsequent meetings of the OSPAR Commission in 1999, 2000 and again this year with a view to giving added impetus to the implementation of the strategy.
Following the adoption of the OSPAR strategy, the UK began a review of radioactive discharge authorisations which, according to the UK, is aimed at meeting its obligations under the strategy. This review, which is the subject of a series of public consultations by the UK, is ongoing. Since September 2000, my Department has responded to the three public consultations held to date by the UK in the context of this review and is preparing to respond to the latest public consultation round which finishes in December.
The Irish Government is determined to ensure the UK's review of discharge authorisation limits is fully consistent with its commitments under OSPAR. Notwithstanding, the OSPAR strategy, the Irish Government is committed to bringing about a cessation of nuclear reprocessing activities at Sellafield, which are the primary source of radioactive contamination of the Irish Sea, and will continue to exert maximum pressure on the UK Government and within OSPAR to achieve this objective.
