asked the Minister for Energy the amount of radioactive waste dumped at sea within 500 nautical miles of our coastline for each of the last five years for which figures are available; the countries of origin of such waste; and the steps the Government are taking to have this dumping stopped.
Written Answers. - Radioactive Waste.
507.
The following table sets out the quantities of radioactive waste dumped in the North Atlantic dumpsite over the last five years and the countries of origin.
|
Year |
Weight (gross tonnes) |
Countries of origin. |
|
1979 |
5,415 |
United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. |
|
1980 |
8,391 |
|
|
1981 |
9,435 |
|
|
1982 |
11,693 |
|
|
1983 |
0 |
Approximately 90 per cent of the total weight represents concrete, bitumen and steel. The remaining 10 per cent comprises contaminated material and less than 0.01 per cent of this comprises the contaminating radioisotopes. Only lowlevel radioactive waste is dumped at the site.
At the most recent meeting of the London Dumping Convention in February 1984 the Irish delegation re-stated, in strong terms, Ireland's opposition in principle to the practice of dumping at sea and supported a motion maintaining that the disposal of high-level radioactive waste is prohibited under the terms of the convention. At a meeting which I had with Mr. Patrick Jenkin, UK Secretary of State for the Environment in February last I called on the UK authorities to discontinue dumping at sea. Since then Mr. Jenkin has stated that the UK has decided to suspend dumpings at sea pending the completion of a scientific study to be carried out in the UK in conjunction with the Trades Union Congress on the safety of disposal of radioactive waste in the North Atlantic dumpsite.
As you will see from the table no dumping took place in 1983 and I am advised by the Nuclear Energy Board that it is unlikely also that any dumping operations will be carried out in 1984.