Written Answers. - Plutonium Shipments.
Deirdre Clune
Ceist:
173
Ms Clune
asked the
Minister for the Marine
and Natural Resources his views on the shipments of plutonium from north west England and north France to Japan; his further views on whether Irish persons are being put at risk by these shipments; the efforts, if any, he will make to stop these shipments; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17224/99]
I would prefer if shipments of this nature did not take place. The question of a ban, however, on the passage of ships carrying nuclear materials is fraught with difficulties, given the right of innocent passage enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – UNCLOS.
The concerns of the Irish Government and public about the use of the Irish Sea generally for the transport of the materials in question have been made known on many occasions to the UK authorities and I have their assurance that in any event the vessels involved will not at any stage pass through waters under our jurisdiction. The UK authorities have also stressed that voyages by such vessels through waters solely under UK jurisdiction are kept to a minimum and are already limited to one or two per year.
In these circumstances, I have given particular attention to ensuring that the voyages that take place are carried out having regard to the highest possible level of safety both in terms of the vessels employed and the operational requirements applied to them. In this connection the IMO Assembly, which I addressed in November, 1997, agreed that the INF Code which governs the transport by sea of the materials concerned should be made mandatory. Work on implementing that decision is proceeding apace.
In the meantime as I have previously informed the House, the European Union has adopted a directive requiring all vessels carrying such materials bound for or leaving a Community port to comply with strict notification procedures and controls. I signed the regulations transposing the directive in question into Irish law on 21 April 1999 as required under the terms of the directive even though such vessels do not use Irish ports or transit Irish waters. The EU controls in question now apply to all vessels en route to Sellafield.
As I have said, I would prefer that these shipments were not happening at all. Nevertheless, as the Minister responsible for the marine environment and safety at sea, I am conscious of the fact that they are for the present a reality.
In light of this fact, I have made arrangements with both the UK and France – bilateral agreements – that Ireland will be notified in advance of shipment dates, the nature of cargoes and all other relevant details. This information is always available to the Irish Marine Emergency Service of my Department.
As Minister I have to accept that the vessels transporting these materials may be involved in an accident arising from the hazards of navigation or from occurrences such as workplace accidents which will require assistance from Ireland's emergency services.
In this connection the Irish Marine Emergency Service, in consultation with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, will shortly engage in a communications exercise involving an injured crewman on board one of these vessels.
As the Deputy will appreciate, all persons on board seagoing vessels are equally entitled to emergency response to save life and limbs. I, as Minister, would be less than responsible if I did not envisage such a situation arising with one of these vessels or consider the implications for both the people of Ireland and those men and women who crew our rescue services. We would all prefer to exercise that scenario now rather than wait for a real emergency.
