HC Deb 17 December 1986 vol 107 cc1192-4
6. Mr. Geraint Howells

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations have been received from the Irish Government about discharges to the environment from Sellafield.

Mr. Ridley

I am aware that the Dail passed a resolution on 3 December calling for the closure of Sellafield. In view of the improvements that have taken place at the plant since 1979, to which the recent safety audit by the Health and Safety Executive has drawn attention, I regard the Dail's resolution as misconceived. British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. is undertaking a multi-million pound capital programme at Sellafield, which has already reduced discharges to the environment to one sixth of the level in 1979, and further reductions should be achievable in the 1990s.

Mr. Howells

Now that the Secretary of State has confirmed that the Irish Government want the Sellafield reprocessing plant to be closed due to the threat to health, the environment and the fishing industry, what are his views?

Mr. Ridley

That is not what I said. The hon. Gentleman has got it wrong. The Dail is not the Government. He might as well equate the House of Commons with the Government of this country, but I would not expect him to make such a mistake. In fact, 99.8 per cent. of the radioactivity in the Irish sea is natural radiation. Most of the remaining 0.2 per cent. comes from fallout from past nuclear weapons tests. There is no appreciable evidence that the Irish sea has suffered from Sellafield.

Mr. Forth

When considering the representations on this issue, has my right hon. Friend put them alongside those from other Governments about emissions from coal-fired power stations—for example, concerning acid rain—or about oil leaks caused by extracting oil from the earth? Can he put all these matters together and weigh up the fact that all sources of energy have their hazards? We must not get the impression that any one source of energy is necessarily more dangerous or hazardous than any other.

Mr. Ridley

We seem to be getting a great deal of advice on energy policy from many other countries. It is right that the Government should continue to provide the cheapest energy possible for industrial and domestic consumers compatible with the highest levels of safety and environmental purity.

Mr. John David Taylor

Is the Minister aware of the concern on the Isle of Man and in Northern Ireland about Sellafield? Does he intend to approve any further nuclear plants that will discharge nuclear waste into the Irish sea? Should not the present recommended safety measures be carried out at Sellafield within the next 12 months? Will he consider the closure of Sellafield?

Mr. Ridley

The right hon. Gentleman will be reassured to know that an expert committee commissioned by the Irish Department of Health published a report last month that demonstrates clearly that Sellafield has had no observable environmental impact on the incidence of childhood leukaemia along the east coast of Ireland since the study started in 1977. That is not a British Government but an Irish Government view. I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman will be reassured by that.

Mr. John Mark Taylor

Does my right hon. Friend accept that, despite all the excitement that is sometimes generated about Sellafield, the plant operates comfortably within any known international safety tolerance? Is not nuclear-generated electricity the cheapest in the world? Is not this country now beginning to import it from France?

Mr. Ridley

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is time that we took credit for the enormous improvements that have taken place at Sellafield. It now has a very high record on operating safety, as was recently endorsed by the HSE audit. I congratulate Sellafield on behalf of the House on that massive achievement.

Dr. Cunningham

While no hon. Member should defend policies concerning past discharges into the Irish sea, will the right hon. Gentleman ask the Government of the Republic of Ireland what scientific or medical evidence they can provide to support their position and whether they will publish any such evidence?

Will the right hon. Gentleman ensure that the Health and Safety Executive's audit is provided in the Vote Office? Hon. Members and others have asked for the report and it should be available to the House. Will he ensure that the management of British Nuclear Fuels complies with the directions of the Health and Safety Executive within the 12-month time scale envisaged? Will he—[Interruption.]—right hon. and hon. Members have a lot to say about these matters—[HON. MEMBERS: "Get on with it."] I am sorry that these matters, which are of crucial importance, are treated with such scant regard by Tory Members. Will the Secretary of State ensure that there is the necessary investment by British Nuclear Fuels at Sellafield to eliminate discharges to the Irish sea?

Mr. Ridley

I congratulate the hon. Member on having the wisdom to ask that question rather than leaving it to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark), who is responsible for these matters on the Opposition Front Bench. His good sense as a constituency Member with the interest of his constituents at heart and his sound attitude to these matters puts the hon. Member for South Shields right into the shade. We now know where power resides on the Opposition Front Bench and we are very pleased to know it. [Interruption.] I am trying to praise the hon. Gentleman.

I entirely endorse the hon. Gentleman's point that it would be a very good idea if the Irish Government would produce any scientific evidence that they may have of pollution of the Irish sea arising from Sellafield. I shall make immediate inquiries to ensure that the Health and Safety Executive audit is available in the Vote Office. By law, Sellafield must comply with the report within a year. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy will ensure that adequate resources are available to BNFL to carry out the necessary investment in years to come. Massive investment is already taking place and will continue.