asked the Minister for Energy the arrangements either his Department or the Nuclear Energy Board have for monitoring radioactive levels in the Carlingford Lough area of County Louth.
Written Answers. - Radioactivity Levels.
60.
The levels of radioactivity in the Irish Sea are continually being monitored by the Nuclear Energy Board (NEB) which is under the aegis of my Department. This programme of monitoring includes the sampling of fish landed in our ports, as well as of seaweed, seawater and sediment.
While Clogherhead is the most northern point at which routine monitoring takes place, Carlingford Lough is included in broader surveys from time to time. The results from Carlingford are not significantly different from those arising from the Clogherhead area which is monitored on a routine basis. The NEB have advised me that their regular monitoring programme, while concentrating on some locations, is indicative of radiation levels along the entire east coast which are less than 1 per cent of the levels advised by the International Commission on Radiological Protection and by the EC. On that basis the board is satisfied that levels of radioactivity at Carlingford do not constitute a health hazard to the Irish population.
Nevertheless, I shall continue to press the UK authorities to ensure that radioactive discharges from all nuclear installations are minimised and eliminated as soon as possible through the use of the best available technology.