asked the Minister for Health if the Nuclear Energy Board reports directly to him or to officials of his Department; if he is satisfied with the method of monitoring levels of radiation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Nuclear Energy Board.
287.
The members of the Nuclear Energy Board are appointed by the Minister for Energy. The board is financed by that Minister and is required by the terms of the Nuclear Energy Act, 1971, (No. 12 of 1971), to make an annual report to him and to submit to him such information regarding the performance of its functions as he may from time to time require.
I understand from the Minister for Energy who has prime responsibility in this area that the monitoring work undertaken by the board is of a high standard and bears comparison with similar work undertaken in other national environmental radioactivity laboratories.
Prior to Chernobyl the board operated an environmental monitoring programme principally designed to monitor the contamination of our marine environment which arose from radioactive discharges from Sellafield. When Chernobyl occurred the board was called upon to expand its monitoring activities particularly in the areas of human and animal foodstuffs and in air and water samples and was immediately granted additional resources by the Government to do this.