I understand the Minister for Agriculture and Food is taking the private notice question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the submarine which ran aground off the Isle of Skye. I will call Deputies in the order in which they submitted questions to my office.
Private Notice Questions. - Submarine Accident.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will raise with the British Government the implications for Ireland of a nuclear submarine running aground on the Isle of Skye; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when both he and the Radiological Pro tection Institute of Ireland were made aware of the grounding of the submarine in question; whether Irish concerns have been lodged with the British ambassador and the British Prime Minister, Mr. Blair; whether members of the crew were injured; and whether the submarine and its reactor were damaged.
I offer my profound apologies to you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, and the Members who have raised this important matter.
The Government is concerned about the potential implications of this incident. The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland contacted the British authorities and the British nuclear installation inspectorate immediately upon learning of this incident. The inspectorate was informed by the British Ministry of Defence that the incident had no implications for nuclear or radiological safety because no damage had been done and an investigation into the incident would be undertaken immediately.
The RPII is maintaining contact with the British nuclear installation inspectorate and awaiting the outcome of the investigation, which, I hope, will be known quickly. Everything that could be done was done immediately. The situation is being monitored and, as soon as we are made aware of the outcome of the investigation, the Minister for Foreign Affairs will inform the House. We have been assured that no damage was done to the submarine and that there are no nuclear or radiological implications following this incident.
Is the Minister aware that, not only was damage done to the submarine, but three people were also injured? Is he further aware the latest reports indicate that a trainee was at the controls when the nuclear vessel in question crashed and that the incident was not reported publicly for 24 hours? How could the Government have been made immediately aware of the incident if it was not made public in Britain? Given the publicity the Government has received for its alleged interest in Sellafield, is it not a fact that nuclear submarines, some perhaps with trainees at the controls, are traversing the Irish Sea morning, noon and night? Is it not time the British and Irish Governments jointly established some machinery to monitor these submarines?
The Minister should be aware that when a nuclear accident was raised previously in the House, people were equally as dismissive only to discover later that, even though the incident had occurred in a distant place, Chernobyl, there were implications for Ireland. This incident occurred off the west coast of Scotland. It is probably inevitable that the submarine was in Irish waters. Will the Minister ensure our ambassador in London makes inquiries of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Secretary of State for Defence in Britain regarding the implications of this nuclear accident for Ireland?
The Government regards this as a serious incident and immediately made its concerns known to the British authorities. I reiterate the RPII was informed by the Ministry of Defence that the incident had no implications for nuclear or radiological safety, whatever about the staff on the submarine. We demanded an investigation, which is under way. It has only commenced and we are monitoring it. We want to establish the full details surrounding the incident. I agree with the Deputy that when nuclear facilities are subject to accidents, the implications are very grave, particularly when they occur so near Ireland. We are monitoring the incident and I will convey the Deputy's request that our ambassador in London should be acquainted with its seriousness.
Did the submarine hit a rock, ship or another submarine? Was it engaged in military exercises at the time? If so, had the Government been informed of such exercises?
I do not know and that is the reason the investigation is taking place. The investigation will establish what the submarine struck, what damage was done and the full implications of the incident. As soon as we are aware of the outcome of the investigation, we will be in a position to inform the House and provide Members with a full and comprehensive reply on the matter.
We have often read of tragedies involving ships that have disappeared for which anecdotal evidence was offered that they had collided with submarines. Does the Minister agree, following this accident, that this view may be well founded? Irrespective of whether the RPII is aware of the incident, it does not have the facility to protect Ireland. The greatest threat to the State's security is posed by nuclear submarines which may be travelling within a few miles of the vast majority of our population, and not Sellafield, which is stationary and can be seen. That is unacceptable.
On a point of information, the Taoiseach has decided not to be present on Thursdays. This is not a reflection on the Ministers opposite and perhaps Deputy Walsh does not wish to comment. However, today's business has been a sham. First, the debate on the Private Security Services Bill was closed by a Minister who read a script and Question Time concluded at 4.20 p.m., following which no Minister was available to reply to a private notice question tabled to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. With respect to the Minister for Agriculture and Food, he stood into the breach and replied. However, this is totally unacceptable. When the cat's away, the mice will play. The issue of the Taoiseach not attending the House on Thursdays must be revisited.
This incident is a worrying development for our people and I would like the Minister to relay its seriousness to the Taoiseach and the Government.
The organisation of the business of the House is a matter for the Whips and with which I do not have anything to do.
The Government regards this matter as extremely serious. We immediately instituted inquiries and an investigation is under way. As soon as the outcome of the investigation is known, we will inform the House of the full details. However, we cannot do so at the moment because the preliminary inquiry has only commenced. I take the Deputy's point that nuclear craft in Irish waters or near Irish waters are a hazard and will convey the full weight of the concern expressed by the Members to the relevant authorities in Ireland for conveyance to the British authorities.
I once asked an American naval officer whether he had ever been in Ireland and he replied that he had not, but that he had seen it many times through his periscope. Is the Minister aware that a rear admiral stated: "A reactor core integrity assessment of the nuclear reactor has been conducted and there is no risk to the public or the crew. . . The reactor was perfectly safe at all times and the pressure hull is very thick."? One thinks it is probably as thick as the necks of the spokespersons for the Ministry of Defence. Will the Minister join Charles Kennedy, MP for Skye, and me in seeking an independent inquiry into what happened? Will the Minister make a case to the British Government for an Irish presence at such an inquiry given the implications of such accidents for Irish safety?
For all we know, there may have been many other accidents which have not been reported or discovered. It took 24 hours before this accident was reported and then only because men were injured and the submarine had to surface. This has implications for the Irish Sea. Will the Minister ensure that this matter is raised with the highest authority? We must ensure that Ireland uses every influence it can to find out what happened in this case and in cases related to nuclear safety in or near our waters which have implications for our citizens.
Will the Minister convey our deep concern about this issue to the relevant authorities? I understand the British Energy Minister, Brian Wilson, will speak in Dublin this evening. Perhaps the Minister might be able to express our concerns to him through diplomatic channels, given that he has responsibility for the nuclear industry which is closely linked to the defence and military activities which led to the incident yesterday.
I will convey the serious concerns expressed by the Deputies and I thank them for raising this important matter. I heard Charles Kennedy speak about this issue this morning and he made a compelling case for an independent inquiry. I do not know if that will be granted, but I will put the case that Ireland should have appropriate representation at that inquiry to ensure we know what is going on. This is a serious situation. The Government has been fighting a case in court in recent weeks regarding Sellafield. Chernobyl was an eye opener for many people. The devastation, destruction and human misery it caused is still felt by many people. We regard this matter seriously. I will convey the concerns expressed by the Deputies at the highest level.
The House had to adjourn before these questions were taken by the Minister for Agriculture and Food. The Minister was good enough to take them at short notice. However, notice was given of these questions and the House should not be treated with such contempt.
I agree with the Deputy. It is most unsatisfactory.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.