§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have received a resolution from the North Down District Council asking for the ending of radioactive waste disposal from Sellafield into the Irish Sea: and what action they are taking on this matter in the interests of the United Kingdom and of the human and marine environments.
§ Lord SkelmersdaleMy department will be replying shortly to this resolution from North Down District Council. Her Majesty's Government carry out an extensive programme of monitoring of the impact of Sellafield on the human and marine environments. Although Northern Ireland is included in the programme the evidence to date suggests that discharges from Sellafield have had a negligible radiological impact there. The declared aim of the Government is to achieve further substantial reductions in discharges from Sellafield at the earliest practicable date, over and above the major reductions that have already been achieved.