HL Deb 09 June 2003 vol 649 cc11-2WA
Lord Faulkner of Worcester

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When was the most recent discharge of technetium-99 into the Irish Sea from Sellafield. [HL2758]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)

Technetium-99 is discharged into the Irish Sea from Sellafield primarily as the result of treating Medium Active Concentrate (MAC), a liquid waste arising from the reprocessing of spent Magnox fuel. Batches of MAC are treated in "campaigns" at the Enhanced Actinide Removal Plant (EARP) which removes the most radiotoxic components of the MAC mixture. The latest treatment campaign, and hence the most recent discharges, were in February and March of this year.

Lord Faulkner of Worcester

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How they intend to respond to the letter of 1 April from the Norwegian Minister of the Environment regarding the discharge of technetium-99 into the Irish Sea from Sellafield. [HL2760]

Lord Whitty

My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Environment (Mr Michael Meacher) met the Norwegian Environment Minister, Borge Brende, on 15 May. A discussion took place for two hours during which expert advisers from both countries were able to address the complex technical issues that surround technetium-99 discharges. My right honourable friend emphasised that even though technetium-99 at the levels currently discharged does not pose a risk to human health or the environment, we do take very seriously Norwegian concerns about its presence in their coastal waters. Norway is concerned that the fact that technetium may be detected in seaweed and crustaceans in their coastal waters might lead to a perception of contamination for their fishing industry. The Government are sympathetic to these concerns, but when making decisions on how best to manage the backlog of liquid waste that contains a mixture of radiotoxic components along with the technetium-99, they must judge that against the possibility of increasing the radiation dose to workers at Sellafield and the safety hazards on the site. We have already taken action to reduce the technetium-99 discharge limit to 45 per cent of its 1999 level, and further action, currently being implemented, will reduce the discharge limit to 50 per cent of this level by 2006. There is no simple way forward that would allow us to manage the waste effectively and safely and reduce the discharges more quickly, but further scientific analysis is being carried out, and we are working hard to address Norwegian concerns as fully as we can.