§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what liaison took place between the United Kingdom regulatory bodies and the Radiation Protection Institute for Ireland in the production of the report on radioactivity in food and the environment, RIFE 8; [136721]
(2) when she received the most recent annual report on radioactivity in food and the environment from the regulatory agencies; how members of the public may obtain this report; and if she will make a statement on the key findings of the RIFE 8 report. [136722]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonI have been asked to reply.
The Radioactivity in Food and the Environment report (RIFE 8) contains full details of the monitoring of radioactivity in food and the environment undertaken by the Food Standards Agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Environment Agency and the Environment and Heritage Service for Northern Ireland in 2002.
The report shows that in 2002 radiation doses to the UK public as a result of man-made radioactive discharges to the environment were well below national and international limits.
The report was published on 29 October and is available in the Library.
The report was also sent to the Radiation Protection Institute for Ireland (RPII) and its findings will be discussed at the next biannual meeting of the UK Ireland Contact Group on Radioactivity Matters attended by the RPII and the UK regulatory bodies.
Members of the public may obtain a hardback copy of the report (or an electronic version on CD) by writing to the Food Standards Agency at Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London WC2B 6NH. The report is free. Copies of the report may also be downloaded from the website of the Food Standards Agency at www. food.gov.uk