§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effect of polychlorinated biphenyls on the marine environment in the Irish Sea. [52193]
§ Angela EagleThe relevant Government departments and Agencies in the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, and in the Republic of Ireland are jointly taking the lead in the production of a Regional Quality Status Report on the Celtic Seas, including the Irish Sea. Organic contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls, form part of this assessment. The final report, which is one of five regional reports on which the Quality Status Report of the North East Atlantic, which is being prepared by the Ospar Commission, will be based is due for publication by the year 2000.
§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what were the annual emissions of radioactive liquid discharges from Sellafield of(a) tritium, (b) carbon 14, (c) zinc-65, (d) strontium 89, (e) strontium 90, (f) technetium 99, (g) iodine 129, (h) europium 152, (i) europium 154, (j) total Beta and (k) uranium in each of the past 20 years. [52195]
§ Angela EagleDischarges from Sellafield via the Marine Pipeline, in tetrabecquerels (TBq), were as follows:
709W
Year H-3 C-14 Zn-65 Sr-89 Sr-90 Tc-99 1978 1050 NR 0.027 7.2 600 179 1979 1200 NR 10.022 7.5 250 43 1980 1300 NR 0.033 12 352 57 1981 2000 NR 0.034 10.9 277 5.8 1982 1745 NR 10.04 12.5 319 3.6 1983 1831 NR 10.04 18.5 204 4.4 1984 1586 0.7 10.03 13 72 4.3 1985 1100 1.3 10.06 11.8 52 1.9 1986 2150 2.57 10.04 10.2 18 6.6 1987 1375 2.11 10.02 10.2 15 3.65 1988 1724 3 0.09 0.21 10 4.16 1989 2144 2.03 0.13 0.37 9.2 6.07
Year H-3 C-14 Zn-65 Sr-89 Sr-90 Tc-99 1990 1699 1.97 0.12 0.3 4.2 3.82 1991 1800 2.44 0.12 0.18 4.1 3.86 1992 1200 0.804 0.08 0.14 4.2 3.18 1993 2310 2.03 0.1 0.22 17.1 6.06 1994 1680 8.16 0.11 0.33 28.9 72 1995 2670 12.4 0.17 0.38 27.7 192 1996 3009 10.6 0.12 0.29 16 155 1997 2560 4.4 0.03 0.33 37.4 84 1Less than
Year I-129 Eu-152 Eu-154 Total Beta Uranium (Kg) 1978 0.074 7.3 27.9 7124 10936 1979 0.12 3.7 1.9 4100 6000 1980 0.14 4.7 2 4306 4861 1981 0.19 3.5 1.6 3831 4499 1982 0.1 0.56 1 3528 6011 1983 0.2 10.2 10.5 2490 2602 1984 0.1 10.2 0.3 1190 2037 1985 0.1 10.1 0.1 587 2447 1986 0.12 10.1 0.1 118.21 1902 1987 0.1 0.19 0.11 89.31 1404 1988 0.13 0.08 0.08 81.26 970 1989 0.17 0.09 0.1 101.04 1212 1990 0.11 0.08 0.05 70.93 853 1991 0.159 0.07 0.05 62.2 860 1992 0.068 0.04 0.04 57.2 630 1993 0.161 0.05 0.04 97 650 1994 0.157 0.22 0.11 126 1388 1995 0.253 0.18 0.14 188 1345 1996 0.412 0.14 0.08 143 1158 1997 0.519 0.12 0.16 138 759 1Less than Source:
Environment Agency
§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the quantities of(a) synthetic chemicals, (b) mercury, (c) cadmuim, (d) lead, (e) zinc, (f) nickel and (g) arsenic released into the Irish Sea from establishments in the United Kingdom in each of the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement on the proposed reduction targets for each. [52194]
§ Angela EagleThe 3rd North Sea Conference in 1990 committed North Sea states to monitor substances listed in Annexe 1A of the Ministerial Declaration of the Third International Conference on the Protection of the North Sea. Monitoring has been carried out since 1991 at selected sites (rivers and direct discharges to the sea) and the UK's results have been reported to Ospar on this basis as annual load estimates for the whole of the UK. The reduction targets for Annexe 1A listed substances were agreed by North Sea Ministers in 1990 and were set at 50 per cent. between 1985–1995. The UK has a good record in achieving this target.
§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effect of tributyl tin from the hulls of ships on the marine environment in the Irish Sea. [52192]
§ Angela EagleThe relevant Government Departments and Agencies in the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, and in the Republic of Ireland are jointly taking the lead in the production of a Regional Quality Status Report on the Celtic Seas, including the Irish Sea. The Marine and Land Based Inputs to Sea Research710W Programme of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has recently received the final report of a research contract into the effects of tributyl tin in western coastal waters. This report, which is available from the Department's library, will form part of the overall Celtic Seas assessment, one of the five regional assessments on which the Quality Status Report of the North East Atlantic, being prepared by the Ospar Commission, will be based. The Ospar report is due for publication by the year 2000.
§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the releases of(a) synthetic chemicals, (b) mercury, (c) cadmium, (d) lead, (e) zinc, (f) nickel and (g) arsenic into the marine environment by each EU country in each of the last 10 years. [52191]
§ Angela EagleData are not available in the form requested. However, the UK has reported on inputs of 35 of the 36 substances listed in Annexe 1A of the Ministerial Declaration of the Third International Conference on the Protection of the North Sea, The Hague, 8 March 1990 for the period 1991–1995. The Annexe 1A list comprises of 36 substances of priority concern in the marine environment, including heavy metals and synthetic chemicals.