asked the Minister for Energy the assurances given by the Nuclear Energy Board that the amounts of radioactivity currently discharged into the Atlantic will have no harmful effects on man or his environment.
19.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Radioactivity Discharges.
18.
asked the Minister for Energy when the Paris Convention which deals with the discharge of nuclear waste will be ratified; and the discussions that have taken place with Britain on the question of the dumping of nuclear waste in recent months.
I am taking Questions Nos. 18 and 19 together. I understand that the Minister for the Environment will shortly present a motion to the Dáil seeking approval to the terms of the Paris Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Land Based Sources and that the process of ratification will then be concluded as quickly as possible.
Our concern about the discharge of radioactive effluent and the dumping of radioactive waste at sea has been made known to Britain on several occasions in recent months as well as to other participating countries to the Paris Convention and the London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other Matter.
On the occasion of the Anglo-Irish Summit in London, last year, the Tánaiste raised the matter of the discharges of radioactive effluent into the Irish Sea from the Windscale Plant at Sellafield with the Prime Minister and in December of last year the Minister for Labour, Deputy Quinn, while he was Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, had bilateral discussions on the matter in Brussels with his then opposite number in the UK, Mr. William Waldergrave, MP. The Deputy can be assured that Ireland's concerns on this issue are being pursued at the highest level.
On the question of dumping of radioactive waste at sea, as distinct from waste discharge to the sea, Ireland will be represented at the next meeting of the London Dumping Convention in February of this year and it is my intention to take this opportunity to make our continuing concern about the effects of dumping known.
The Nuclear Energy Board have assured me that there is no evidence to date that the dumping of low level radioactive waste into the north-east Atlantic in accordance with the Multilateral Consultation and Surveillance Mechanism operated by the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development presents a hazard in any way to our population or environment. Our concerns about this dumping are to ensure that no avoidable risk is taken that might cause a health or environmental hazard in the future. The Deputy will be aware that no dumping was carried out in 1983.
There are no discharges of nuclear wastes from land based sources directly into the Atlantic that I am aware of although discharges are taking place into the Irish Sea and the English Channel from two nuclear plants in the UK and France.
This seems to be a bit irrelevant today in view of what is happening in Cork, but the show must go on. I would like to ask the Minister to inform the House on what basis the Nuclear Energy Board gave assurances on a television programme that there would not be any damage to the environment or to man because of dumping from land based sources? My information from the annual reports of the Nuclear Energy Board is that the level of monitoring done by them is very inadequate. How dependent are we on information from British sources?
In relation to the Nuclear Energy Board, I want to state again in the House that I have confidence in that board and in their advice to me. I should point out that on two occasions, on 22 November 1983 and 23 December 1983, the Nuclear Energy Board carried out radiological surveys of east coast beaches to allay public concern about the reported incidents at Windscale. These surveys showed no evidence of contamination and this has been confirmed by laboratory analyses of the samples.
How many members have been appointed to the Nuclear Energy Board?
That seems to be a separate question.
It is not if the questions are to ask what the Nuclear Energy Board did. I am asking if there is a Nuclear Energy Board?
Mr. Collins
Yes, there is.
With how many members?
I am ruling that that is another question.
(Interruptions.)
The Deputy can put down a question on that if he likes.
Can I ask the Minister of State how the Nuclear Energy Board can carry out the functions that are referred to in Questions Nos. 18 and 19 if the board do not exist?
That seems to be another question altogether.
It is a very relevant question.
It may be, but it is not relevant to the questions on the Order Paper.
How many members of the Nuclear Energy Board were fired?
That is not a relevant question in relation to the questions on the Order Paper. The Deputy can put down a question on that.
On a point of information——
There is no point of information.
——none of the members of the Nuclear Energy Board was fired. I would like to state that such a remark is not in the best interests of parliament.
The reply is out of order.
I would also like to state that the members have been reappointed to the board.
All of them?
Yes.
Why was there an interval of four months?
May I ask the Minister——
I am calling the next question.
I had one supplementary only on two questions.
It was a long supplementary.
This will be a short one. Would the Minister agree that his Department's view has changed from being a dismissive one about 12 months ago to one now where they are taking problems seriously?
That is argument.
Will the Minister say yes? The Deputy wants him to say yes.
(Interruptions.)
Since we are finding it impossible to get accurate information about what is going on at Windscale will the Minister consider requesting the British authorities to allow a number of Irish parliamentarians to visit the project?
My Department have never been submissive of any matter relating to nuclear energy.
"Dismissive" is the word.
We have always been closely involved and would be most concerned if there were any developments which would endanger life or the environment. The Deputy can rest assured that we will continue to keep a close watch on this matter. I should add that there is an agreement between the Nuclear Energy Board, the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of the Environment on the exchange of information with regard to the Irish Sea. As regards the possible visit by parliamentarians to Windscale I will look into this matter and contact the Deputy.