Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the recent accident at Sellafield; the nature of the assurances made to his Department by the British Government; the number of such incidents that his Department has been informed of since 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16371/05]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the information which was supplied to his Department regarding the reported leak at the THORP reprocessing plant on 19 April 2005; if he is satisfied that the information supplied adequately reflected the seriousness of the leak; the steps he took to verify the information supplied to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16358/05]

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make a statement regarding the representations he has made to the British Government concerning the radioactive leak which occurred at the THORP plant at Sellafield on 18 April 2005. [16515/05]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 153: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he is satisfied that the arrangements between Ireland and the UK on nuclear matters, announced by him in December 2004, are working adequately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16359/05]

John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make a statement on the recent spillage of highly radioactive material at Sellafield. [16454/05]

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 169: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that through the ruptured pipe at the THORP plant in Cumbria, England on 22 April 2005, England had leaked 20 tonnes of uranium and plutonium into a stainless steel room from which there is currently no way of removing it; if so, the reason he did not make known this information; if not, when his attention was drawn to it; and when he planned to divulge it. [16505/05]

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 174: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action he has taken as a result of the recent leak of highly radioactive material at Sellafield; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16441/05]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has made an official complaint to the British Government regarding the three day delay in notifying authorities here of the radioactive leak which occurred at the THORP plant at Sellafield on 18 April 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16523/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 88, 125, 135, 153, 165, 169, 174 and 187 together.

The Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant, THORP, at Sellafield reprocesses spent nuclear fuels from power stations in the UK and overseas. THORP is operated by British Nuclear Group Sellafield Limited, BNGSL.

At the end of each fuel reprocessing campaign the fuel stock is measured in each area of the plant for fissile material — plutonium and uranium — accountancy purposes. A discrepancy revealed a malfunction within the process in the THORP head end where the spent fuel is sheared and dissolved, and shearing was suspended on 18 April.

Camera inspections were subsequently carried out by the British Nuclear Group on 20 April to inspect the vessels and pipework in the feed clarification cell. This inspection identified a failure in the pipework system along with signs of liquor spillage on the side of the tank and some corrosion of the structural steelwork adjacent to the tank. A quantity of liquor was observed on the floor of the cell. As a precautionary measure, the front end of the plant's reprocessing operations was closed down on 21 April.

Subsequent inspections have identified that 83 cubic metres — 15,000 gallons — of liquor have been spilt. This liquid, which contains uranium, plutonium and fission products, is on the floor of a sealed cell with walls several feet thick. Consequently, there has been no abnormal activity in the air and no risk to employees, the local community or the environment. In particular, the incident has no immediate implications for Ireland.

Notification of the incident by the UK authorities to Ireland was made on 21 April and my Department was informed on 22 April. I immediately issued a press statement on the matter for the information of the public. Notification arrangements were in accordance with the established procedures for the exchange of information in relation to such incidents which were agreed between Ireland and the UK at a signing ceremony in Dublin in December 2004.

I am satisfied these notification arrangements worked well on this occasion. Given the need to examine, assess and evaluate the incident by the UK authorities to establish the circumstances involved, the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland has confirmed that in its view the notification by the UK authorities was prompt and effective. Additional information is being made available to the institute by the UK authorities as the situation develops.

I understand that following detailed evaluation the incident has now been assigned as a class 3 incident under the international nuclear event scale, INES. There have been no other incidents classified at class 3 at Sellafield since 1997.

I also understand that some form of robotics will be needed to repair the damage to the leaking pipe and to retrieve the liquid from the floor of the cell. The British Nuclear Group is in the process of developing a safety case which it will present to the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate for approval. No repair work may be carried out until such approval is conveyed. Once the repair work is completed, the group will again require approval to restart the facility.

I am satisfied that the notification and exchange of information arrangements worked effectively and efficiently in this instance and that the Irish public was advised promptly of the incident. However, the incident provides further justification for Irish concerns regarding the threat posed by Sellafield. I remain firmly resolved to continue to pursue every diplomatic and legal route available to me to press for the safe closure of the plant.