Last July I met Dr. Jack Cunningham MP, UK Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to discuss the dumping of radioactive waste in the Irish Sea. This followed revelations by the UK authorities that previously unreported instances of dumping had taken place in the Beaufort Dyke between Northern Ireland and Scotland in the 1950s.
I told Dr. Cunningham of my deep concern regarding the dumping of radioactive materials in the Irish Sea. I pointed out that there was a high level of public disquiet in Ireland over the issue. While I welcomed the open approach he had adopted to the problem, I emphasised that the way in which the information emerged raised major questions about the credibility of previous public statements and information about the Irish Sea by the UK authorities. I told him that the revelations added to the deeply felt concerns about Sellafield and munitions dumping in the north Irish Sea.
At this meeting we agreed action to address concerns on both sides of the Irish Sea. It was decided that intensive archival investigations would be undertaken by the UK as a matter of urgency and that officials from the two Governments would liaise closely on the progress of these investigations. Dr. Cunningham undertook to make immediately available to me any information arising from these searches.
