asked the Minister for Energy the efforts that have been made by him to date to ensure that emissions from the Sellafield, formerly Windscale, nuclear reprocessing plant into the Irish Sea are stopped; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Radioactive Effluent.
12.
I met Mr. Patrick Jenkin, MP, Secretary of State for the Environment in London on 17 February last to express the Irish Government's concern about the discharges of radioactive effluent from the Sellafield Plant into the Irish Sea.
Following that meeting, I issued a detailed statement setting out the matters which he raised and the responses which I had received. I am sending the Deputy a copy.
I urged the Secretary of State to accelerate the United Kingdom discharge reduction programme and indicated that Ireland was particularly concerned about recent unplanned discharges. I informed him that it was the Irish Government's view that discharges should be discountinued as soon as practicable.
Mr. Jenkin pointed out that discharges from the plant have been gradually reduced since 1975 and a further significant reduction in these levels is expected during 1984 when the new effluent treatment plant is to be brought into service.
At my request a contact group has been established representing my Department, the Nuclear Energy Board and their opposite numbers in the United Kingdom to ensure that we are fully informed on the discharge reduction programme and to create a channel of communication with the United Kingdom Authorities on all aspects of the radioactive waste discharges from Sellafield.
Does the Minister repudiate the statement made in the House yesterday by his Minister of State, Deputy E. Collins, to the effect that Deputies who were expressing concern about this matter were scaremongering? Does he accept that there is very valid reason for concern to be felt in this country about the degree of nuclear emissions from Sellafield particularly in view of the fact that British Nuclear Fuels apparently deliberately misled the public in Britain and accordingly the public here in some of the statements they have made in the past?
As I said in my reply, the whole purpose of the meeting with the Secretary of State for the Environment in London in February last was to express our Government's concern, a very valid concern, in relation to the discharge of radioactive effluent. The other situation in relation to the levels of radioactivity — from the information available from the Nuclear Energy Board — is that there is no immediate danger. In the longer term obviously it is desirable to see a total elimination of any discharge into the Irish Sea which should be kept free of radioactivity. But, from the point of view of statements being made in relation to the level of radioactivity at present, all the examination, study and research undertaken into those levels, show that it is not any threat to health on either side of the Irish Sea at present.
In response to supplementary questions posed yesterday we were informed by the Minister of State that the Government had no concern in this matter because they were assured by the Nuclear Energy Board — who were their advisers in this matter — that there was no need to monitor the Irish Sea with regard to plutonium because the Nuclear Energy Board were confident about the figures and information they were receiving from British Nuclear Fuels.
That was disposed of yesterday.
Might I ask the Minister if, in view of his reply now and his meeting with Mr. Jenkin in London in February — when he expressed particular concern about the emissions which had taken place — he would not now agree that it is important that our Nuclear Energy Board monitor on the nation's behalf and their own the level of radioactivity in the Irish Sea and not depend on the information to be given by British Nuclear Fuels?
I am satisfied from the information available through the Nuclear Energy Board that sufficient monitoring is taking place and has been over the past number of years.
The Minister has already expressed concern and we are all familiar with the situation vis-á-vis British Nuclear Fuels in which they misled the British people and equally ourselves. Because of that position would the Minister not now decide to monitor the level of radioactivity in the Irish Sea on behalf of the Irish people? It seems to me to be the basic responsibility of a Government to monitor the level of radioactivity in the waters around us in view of the fact that we have had these mis-statements from the British in the past.
In relation to mis-statements from British Nuclear Fuels I can assure the Deputy that, from my meeting with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Mr. Jenkin, that he had a full understanding and in fact was very concerned. In order to ensure that no recurrence could take place of the unauthorised discharges he had set up an inquiry which had been published some days before I visited him. He conveyed to me that he was very sympathetic and that, as Minister for the Environment in Britain, was very concerned about unauthorised discharges. He was also concerned that a programme would be implemented in order to continue to reduce the level of discharges with a view to their total elimination as soon as was practically possible. In relation to monitoring, I can assure the Deputy that monitoring has and is being done, that all the information and figures are available to us and that there is no danger. That is the important fact. We can be concerned but, in terms of radioactivity levels, there is no danger either to health or sea life and that is the important thing.
One final supplementary, a Cheann Comhairle.
I will call the Deputy again but I want to get out of the habit of——
It is on this, a Cheann Comhairle, with your permission, and thanks for this——
There is no thanks due to me because I have not given any permission. I want to discourage the practice of Deputies thinking they have a right to ask a series of supplementary questions.
That never even crossed my mind.
Can the Minister say if there is any testing of demersal fish in the Irish Sea for radioactivity?
I am reluctant to give an answer to the Deputy's question. I know that testing does take place in relation to marine life in the Irish Sea on a regular basis.
Demersal fish are of special significance because they are to be found on the bottom.
In his reply to the previous supplementary question the Minister indicated that monitoring was taking place. The monitoring that is taking place, we were told yesterday, is being undertaken by British Nuclear Fuels, not by our Nuclear Energy Board. In view of the history of British Nuclear Fuels and the fact that the British Government themselves have had to carry out an inquiry into their activities would the Minister not agree it is time that we, as an independent Irish nation, had our monitoring carried out by ourselves of the plutonium levels and not be dependent on British Nuclear Fuels and the British nuclear authorities?
From the information available to me from the Nuclear Energy Board the board are satisfied that adequate monitoring is taking place.
But they are receiving the information from the people who are causing the pollution.