Written Answers. - Nuclear Safety.
Bernard Allen
Question:
231
Mr. Allen
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
the action his Department has taken to ensure that Sellafield is safe from attack by terrorists; the advice which has been offered to him by the Radiological Protection Institute; if he will publish this advice; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17612/02]
Security arrangements at British nuclear power plants, including Sellafield, are a matter for the British authorities. However, the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland has been in regular contact with the UK's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate with a view to obtaining as much information as possible in regard to security measures at such facilities.
Following the 11 September 2001 attacks, the Irish Embassy in London contacted the relevant Government Departments to ascertain what security measures are in place at nuclear installations. The embassy was informed by the UK Department of Trade and Industry that it is not UK Government policy to disclose details of security measures taken at civil nuclear sites. However, the DTI indicated that the UK's civil nuclear sites apply stringent security measures which are regulated by the DTI Office for Civil Nuclear Security. The OCNS also works closely with the UK Health and Safety Executive which provides advice on the safety implications of events, including external hazards such as plane crashes at nuclear installations. Furthermore, the DTI indicated that security and safety precautions at nuclear installations are kept under regular review and that the regulators were reviewing all relevant precautions in the light of 11 September.
There have been further meetings between relevant Irish and UK authorities, and between the RPII and BNFL, with a view to assisting further more detailed evaluation by the Irish authorities of the safety of Sellafield installations from attack by terrorists. A recent OCNS report for the DTI on the state of security in the civil nuclear industry and the effectiveness of security regulation concludes,inter alia, that stringent security precautions are being taken to protect civil nuclear sites and material in the United Kingdom, commensurate with current threats to national security and that satisfactory arrangements have also been made with the Ministry of Defence to protect civil nuclear sites from attacks from the air.
However, the RPII has advised my Department that, because of UK security restrictions, neither the briefings provided, nor the OCNS report, provide sufficient technical detail to enable the RPII fully to evaluate these conclusions. A more recent meeting took place in July 2002 and was attended by the RPII, my Department, the Office of Emergency Planning and the Irish Embassy. Unfortunately, while the UK provided more information on the methodology of its nuclear security measures, the information was of a general nature and lacked specificity. Ireland's concern to have more details regarding the safety and security arrangements at Sellafield and the consequences of a terrorist attack on the facility was again emphasised to the UK.
The Government has in place a national emergency plan for nuclear accidents. This plan is designed to respond to a major disaster at a nuclear installation in the UK, or elsewhere, which would result in a major release of radioactivity into the environment and pose a radiological hazard in Ireland whether the disaster is caused by an accident or a terrorist attack. All the information gained by the RPII in regard to safety and security measures at British civil nuclear power plants provides constant input to our emergency planning and management response programme.
An information booklet, entitled National Planning for Nuclear Emergencies, was published by my Department in March 2002, and sets out the principal features of the national emergency plan for nuclear accidents. An information leaflet summarising the main elements of the booklet has been distributed to every household in the country.
