asked the Minister for Energy if he will give details of the proposals which Ireland will be putting forward at the forthcoming meeting of the Paris Commission in Lisbon in relation to radioactive pollution of the sea; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Radioactive Sea Pollution.
49.
Ireland is putting forward two recommendations for adoption at next month's Paris Commission Meeting. These recommendations are as follows:
Recommendation proposed by Ireland concerning closure of Sellafield Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plant
"Having regard to the objectives as stated in Article 1 of the Paris Convention, to take all possible steps to prevent pollution of the sea from land-based sources;
Having regard to the objectives of Article 5 to forestall and as appropriate eliminate pollution of the maritime area from land based sources by radioactive substances;
Having regard to Article 13 in which Contracting Parties undertake to assist one another as appropriate to prevent incidents which may result in pollution from land-based sources;
Having regard to the frequency of incidents and shortcomings in the management and plant operation at the BNFL Sellafield Nuclear Reprocessing Plant which Ireland regards as rendering that plant unsafe and liable to cause incidents resulting in serious pollution of the Irish Sea;
Having regard to the fact that the Report on Discharges from Nuclear Installations in 1986, Parcom 10/6/7-E shows that discharges from Sellafield are so much higher than those from nuclear power stations in the UK;
Having regard to the fact that present plans for improvements at Sellafield do not provide for the elimination of these discharges;
Having regard to the fact that the UK Advisory Committee on Nuclear Installations Report for 1984-1986 noted that the reduction in routine discharges from Sellafield gives rise to increased levels of waste on the site and that there remains the possibility of an accident causing an uncontrolled release of radioactivity;
Having regard to the fact that the levels of waste on site will continue to increase as long as the Sellafield Plant remains in operation;
Ireland proposes the following recommendation to be adopted at the June 1988 meeting of the Paris Commission:—
That the BNFL Nuclear Reprocessing Plant at Sellafield should be closed and waste already on site should be stored and managed in a safe condition in order to prevent the occurrence of any incident which would result in serious pollution of the Irish Sea and any other maritime areas within the scope of the Paris Convention."
Recommendation Proposed by Ireland on Compliance with Adopted Recommendations
"Having regard to Article 11 of the Paris Convention which states that
"the contracting Parties agree to set up progressively and to operate...a permanent monitoring system allowing ...the assessment of the effectiveness of measures for the reduction of marine pollution from land-based sources";
Having regard to Article 16 (b) of the Convention which states that it shall be the duty of the Commission
"to review generally...the effectiveness of the control measures being adopted...";
Having regard to widespread public concern about the operation of reprocessing plants and the lack of public confidence in assurances given by the operators of such plants;
Having regard to the fact that Paris Commission Recommendations should be meticulously implemented and should be seen to be so implemented;
Having regard to the need for earlier and more frequent reporting on compliance with recommendation 87/4 (and other similar recommendations) than that proposed by the Ad Hoc Working Group following its meeting in October 1987;
Having regard to the fact that, while Contracting Parties should be free to make presentations to the Commission from time to time regarding the level of compliance with Recommendation 87/4 etc., assessments by the Commission would be more acceptable to the Public;
Ireland puts forward the following recommendation for adoption at the June 1988 Paris Commission Meeting:
The Secretariat to the Paris Commission should report, at the 1989 meeting of the Commission, on the extent to which Contracting Parties are complying with Recommendation 87/4 which stated that
"Contracting Parties declare their firm intention to apply the best available technology in order to minimise and eliminate as soon as possible any pollution caused by radioactive discharges from all nuclear industries, including reprocessing plants, into the marine environment"
and other similar recommendations."
I think both of these motions are selfexplanatory. As Deputies are no doubt aware, there was not much support in 1987 for our motion for the closure of Sellafield, but I do not intend to let the matter rest and I am hopeful that we will get more support this year. The second recommendation is based on a belief that, if international bodies make recommendations, they should also take the necessary steps to ensure that the recommendations are put into effect.
That sounds like a memorandum for a joke.
I am not travelling.
The Minister did not leave out anything as regards the reasons why Sellafield should be closed down. However, the point is that the Paris Commission is not the appropriate forum at which to have the desired objective brought about. On that issue, given that the time has nearly evaporated on us——
That was the intention.
——has the Minister had consultations with any of the delegations attending the Paris Commission this year? Last year we were defeated by nine to one and the outcome was very poor in terms of the main motion, which was the closure of Sellafield. I have been through this before with the Minister and have told him that I see the Paris Commission being useful only from the point of view of airing our justifiable grievances in this whole area. I see very little benefit coming to us from the point of view of actually achieving the desired result, which is the closing down of the Sellafield plant.
I am very sorry to interrupt Deputy O'Malley. I should like to remind him and the House that there are three remaining questions which the Chair is most anxious to dispose of within the prescribed time.
I share the Deputy's view that it is important to highlight Ireland's position in relation to Sellafield at every available international forum and that is what is being done here. I have contact with members of the Commission and am seeking support. I shall not go any further than that at this stage. I also believe we should use every available opportunity to highlight our legitimately held view that that plant is a menace as far as the Irish people are concerned.