Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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683. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if the Government’s policy to distribute in-date iodine tablets to each family in the State is still in place; and the plans in place in the case of an nuclear accident. [36084/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Minister for Health and Children decided in 2008, on the basis of expert risk management advice, to discontinue the policy of distributing iodine tablets to households.

The Radiological Protection Act 1991 (Ionising Radiation) Order 2000 provides that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government must prepare a plan, referred to as the National Emergency Plan for Nuclear Accidents (NEPNA), to cater for a radiological emergency or crisis such as that arising from a major accident at a nuclear installation abroad, resulting in radioactive contamination reaching Ireland. The NEPNA sets out a framework for a co-ordinated national response to an event where the required response is beyond the resources or capabilities of any individual Government Department or public authority and thus requires the political and strategic involvement of Government. The current NEPNA is available at the following link:

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The main elements of the NEPNA, which is one of a number of complementary national and local authority plans designed to cater for different types of emergency situation, cover mechanisms for raising the alarm; the respective roles of Ministers of the Government and other public authorities/agencies; procedures for mobilisation of the resources and expertise from across the State; effective co-ordination at both political and official levels to ensure that all State resources are distributed to best effect and that gaps in the response arrangements are not allowed to develop; and arrangements for effective communication with the public.

The NEPNA is currently being reviewed by my Department with other key Departments who have responsibilities in preparing for, and responding to, nuclear accidents and radiological emergencies. It is hoped to complete this work by the middle of 2016. This work is being undertaken in line with the International Safety Standards for preparedness and response to nuclear emergencies. These Safety Standards have been jointly established by a number of international agencies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organisation.