Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 38: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action he has taken in the past fortnight since the disaster in Japan to ensure that there is a contingency plan in place should a similar event happen at the Sellafield plant in England. [6647/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Government has in place a National Emergency Plan for Nuclear Accidents. This is designed to respond to an event at a nuclear installation abroad, including plants in the UK or in other countries, that could result in radioactive contamination reaching Ireland. The Plan conforms to best international standards and practice as established by the International Atomic Energy Agency. My Department is the Lead Government Department for co-ordinating the response to any nuclear accidents, and is assisted by a range of relevant Departments and agencies, including relevant specialist agencies such as the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII), the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and Met Eireann.

Ireland has a bi-lateral agreement on the early notification of a nuclear incident with the United Kingdom. My Department is in regular contact with the relevant British Government Departments and agencies on nuclear safety and radiological protection matters. The RPII also has bilateral arrangements with the regulatory bodies responsible for radiological protection and nuclear safety in the United Kingdom and keeps my Department fully briefed on these matters. The RPII has a national radiation monitoring network, which is used to provide an early warning of elevated radioactivity levels, and makes this information available in real-time on its website at www.rpii.ie . The Institute also has direct access to the UK Radiation Monitoring System (RIMNET).

Since the earthquake and tsunami on 11 March which resulted in the nuclear emergency in Japan, the relevant authorities in Ireland have been monitoring the situation, taking account of information available through the International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Union. The incidents to date have been rated as a five on the seven point International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) indicating their serious nature, and that the impact is in the wider area of the affected power plant.

My Department's National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management convened a National Co-ordination Group of the relevant Departments and agencies on the day following the earthquake to review the available information and to consider potential issues for Ireland. The RPII has confirmed that it has detected the presence of trace amounts of radioactivity from the Fukushima accident in Ireland. The amount of radio-iodine identified is extremely low, is consistent with levels found in other European countries, and has no public health implications.

The National Co-ordination Group continues to meet routinely to assess emerging issues and to ensure that appropriate information is made available to the public.