Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:35 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she will report on the first peer review meeting under the International Convention on Nuclear Safety; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13003/99]
Written Answers. - Nuclear Safety.
The first review meeting of the Nuclear Safety Convention was held at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA – in Vienna on 12-23 April 1999. In advance of the meeting, each contracting party was obliged to submit a national report setting out how it is complying with the obligations of the convention. Other contracting parties were then invited to submit written queries on the reports.
To date, 65 countries have ratified the convention. Of these, 45 contracting parties, including Ireland, participated in the meeting. For the purposes of the review meeting, the participating countries were divided into six country groups. Each group comprised countries with nuclear power programmes of different sizes, as well as countries not having nuclear power reactors.
The country groups discussed in depth each national report and its compliance with the obligations of the convention. The areas discussed included: legislative and regulatory frameworks; safety of nuclear installations; financial and human resources; assessment and verification of safety; radiation protection and emergency preparedness. The output from each country group was a confidential draft working document which formed the basis of a report to the plenary session.
In addition to the deliberations within the country group, the Irish delegation had an opportunity to participate in discussions within other country groups. During this process, Ireland raised a number of questions on the national reports of other countries, including the UK. According to the rules and procedures of the convention, the proceedings of the review meeting and the documentation received, apart from the summary report and national reports, are confidential.
Overall, the review process demonstrated a strong commitment by all contracting parties to the safety objectives of the convention. It was generally recognised that the self assessment process, starting with the ratification of the convention and the preparation of national reports, has been a catalyst for initiating steps and measures by many participating countries to improve implementation of their obligations under the convention.
Being a contracting party to this convention entails a commitment to a continuous learning and improving process. This is a key element in terms of assuring a high quality safety culture. This first review meeting could, therefore, be regarded as a base-line for observations on the implementation of the convention obligations. Further improvements as a result of this meeting should be evident at the next review meeting to be held in three years' time.