HC Deb 03 July 1986 vol 100 cc617-9W
Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what monitoring of the levels of radioactivity of flotsam at sea has been made by his Department.

Mr. Mark Robinson

Monitoring of the marine environment around the Welsh coast for radioactivity, carried out by the Government, concentrates on fish, shellfish, beach silt and sand so as to represent the main pathways by which radioactivity discharged to sea may return to man. Flotsam does not constitute such a pathway and is therefore not regularly monitored around the Welsh coast.

Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what are the levels of radioactivity allowed for the disharge of low-level radioactive waste from establishments licenced to discharge such waste in Wales; and what the actual levels have been.

Mr. Mark Robinson

Authorisations for the disposal of radioactive waste are granted on a site specific basis and the levels of radioactivity prescribed vary accordingly. Guidance on the application of controls is set out in "Radioactive Substances Act 1960: A Guide to the administration of the Act", a copy of which is in the Library.

Actual discharge levels from premises subject to the provisions of the Nuclear Installations Act are published in numerous sources, including the Department's "Environmental Digest for Wales", a copy of which has been sent to the hon. Gentleman. Details of discharges from premises not covered by that Act are not maintained centrally. Such information is maintained as a condition of the authorisation and is subject to inspection by Her Majesty's Radiochemical Inspecorate.

Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what are the highest permissible levels of radioactivity for the sea around the coast of Wales; and what have been the actual levels in each of the last five years.

Mr. Mark Robinson

Statutory controls are applied to discharges to sea from nuclear sites in order to ensure that the exposure of members of the public to artificial radiation is kept within internationally recommended limits. There are, therefore, no legal limits applying to the sea.

The results of monitoring in the marine environment around the Welsh coast carried out by the Government are published annually in a report entitled "Radioactivity in surface and coastal waters of the British Isles". Copies are placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what are the sources of radioactivity in the sea off the coast of Wales; and what proportion of the total each source contributes.

Mr. Mark Robinson

Levels of radioactivity in the sea around Wales vary with location, as do the relative contributions from different sources. However, Government scientists have estimated that, off the coast of north Wales, about 90 per cent. of the radioactivity in the sea originates from natural sources, whilst most of the remainder is attributable to discharges from BNFL Sellafield. The proportion of radioactivity originating from natural sources is greater further south, and along the mid-Wales coastline such radioactivity accounts for over 99 per cent. of the total activity present.

Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what testing is done to ascertain the levels of radioactivity in the environment in Wales; and by whom the testing is done.

Mr. Mark Robinson

Air, water, milk, fish and food are tested for levels of radioactivity in Wales. Analyses are carried out by the nuclear power stations and Amersham International (Cardiff) as a condition of their discharge authorisations, by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as part of its programme of monitoring for radioactivity in the marine and terrestrial environments, by the National Radiological Protection Board, by the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, and by HM Radiochemical Inspectorate.

Mr. D. E. Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Wales why the airborne radioactivity readings measured at Trawsfynydd station on the late evening of 2 May have been excluded from the data he has published to date; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Mark Robinson

All monitoring data made available to the Welsh Office in response to the Chernobyl accident up to 15 May have been made available to the public, and none has been excluded.