Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 17 Oct 2001

Vol. 542 No. 3

Written Answers. - National Emergency Plan.

Seamus Kirk

Question:

85 Mr. Kirk asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if, in view of the increasing concern along the east coast, particularly in County Louth, of a terrorist attack on Sellafield, she will continue the emergency plans in such circumstances. [24532/01]

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

Concern about terrorist attacks on Sellafield or other nuclear plants has raised public concern about our preparedness to deal with the consequences of a nuclear incident. My Department, in conjunction with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland – RPII has primary responsibility for emergency planning for nuclear accidents. A national emergency plan for such accidents is in place to ensure a rapid and effective response to accidents involving the release, or potential release, of radioactive substances into the environment, which could result in exposure of the public to radiation. The plan is designed to cater for a major disaster at a nuclear installation in another country, which would result in radioactive contamination reaching Ireland.

My Department has overall responsibility for ensuring the co-ordination of the roles and functions of the relevant Departments and statutory organisations. These have responsibilities under the plan to establish procedures and implement measures within their own particular fields of competence, including integration, where appropriate, with emergency services already provided for other civil emergencies.

The current plan, published in 1992, has been undergoing review and testing for the past two years, and an updated plan will be ready for pub lication towards the end of the year. The changes in the plan are largely institutional in nature, and are designed to streamline administrative arrangements, and to reflect advances in science, technology and meteorology. They are designed to ensure prompt and effective analysis of any emergency, and prompt communications to the public and to key players concerning risk analysis and recommended counter measures.

The plan has been the subject of independent evaluation, and a full-scale exercise of the plan will take place early next month. The exercise, based on a simulated accident abroad, has been planned within the Department, in conjunction with other Departments, for two years. It has been worked on intensively for the past 12 months, and independent consultants were brought in to advise on the most appropriate and user friendly plan. I intend to publish the updated plan in the near future, and to deliver a fact sheet drawn from the plan to every household in the country.