Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 529: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there have been at least eight radioactive leaks from radioactive waste storage facilities at a British naval base at Faslane, Scotland over the past ten years; if the Environmental Protection Agency has met with or had correspondence with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency regarding this issue and the potential danger this presents for Ireland; if so, the detail of these meetings and so on; if he is satisfied that these leaks present no danger to the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23077/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) is the statutory agency with regulatory, advisory and monitoring responsibility with regard to ionising radiation in Ireland. The EPA has no function in these areas.

I am aware of reports from the relevant UK authorities of a number of leaks of radioactive material into the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, from the Faslane naval base in recent years. I understand that the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) does not have formal regulatory powers in respect of the holding of radioactive material in, or radioactive releases from UK Ministry of Defence premises, which includes the Faslane base. This issue has not therefore been the subject of meetings or correspondence between the RPII and SEPA.

The Government takes seriously the issue of any actual or potential radioactive contamination of the Irish Sea by UK nuclear installations. This is evidenced by our continuing efforts to bring about the decommissioning and closure of the Sellafield plant in Cumbria, as well as our work through the Oslo-Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) to achieve progressive and substantial reductions of radioactive discharges into the Irish Sea. OSPAR is one of a number of international bodies through which the Government seeks continuing improvements in nuclear safety and radiological protection. In addition, Ireland's strong stance on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament is well known internationally and continues to be articulated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

With regard to the question of any danger posed to Ireland by these leaks, I am advised by the RPII that ongoing monitoring by them and other agencies shows no evidence of an increase in radioactivity concentrations in the Irish Sea that could be attributable to releases from the Faslane naval base in Scotland. The RPII's environmental monitoring programme has been in place for a number of decades. It is a comprehensive, robust and well developed programme which is designed to detect any anomalies that might arise as a result of radioactive leaks into the Irish Sea. As such it offers a high level of confidence that any anomalies resulting from the Faslane leaks would be detected. The RPII also works in close co-operation with its Northern counterpart, the Environment Agency of Northern Ireland, on issues of common interest and concern, such as monitoring of the Irish Sea.

On a broader level, communication on radiological matters between Ireland and the UK at both official and regulator level has been expanded and enhanced in recent years. I am confident that any issues of concern to the Government can be raised with the UK authorities in this context of enhanced co-operation.