Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The merger of these two bodies will not in any way result in a diminution in the commitment to the radiological protection institute. The establishment of the office of radiological protection will, as the Minister of State stated, maintain the positive profile and high reputation of the institute.

On the future of the Sellafield nuclear site, as the Minister of State is from County Louth, as I am, he is aware that it is an issue of concern to the people of County Louth. Many in the county have died from cancer and the causes have been attributed to proximity to the nuclear site at Sellafield. There are ongoing engagements with the United Kingdom on radiological and nuclear matters. I ask the Minister of State to assure us that when the two agencies merge, such meetings will be forthcoming as often as they are at present. Local government and technical experts from the RPII meet their counterparts from the United Kingdom Department on a regular basis and it is hoped that this will continue. I ask him to assure us that it will.

As I stated, Sellafield is of concern. The merger of the two bodies will in no way reduce the current high level of scrutiny that applies to the Sellafield issue. It is to alleviate the concerns of the county that we both come from, and, indeed, all counties on the east coast. They are concerned about the discharges into the Irish Sea and it is hoped that such discharges are being monitored on a regular basis.

Does the Minister have any idea how often this happens? Is the incidence increasing? Does the discharge of nuclear waste to the Irish Sea happen more often now than it did in the past or has it reduced? I hope the merger will not increase the possibility of a greater discharge into the Irish Sea.