§ Mr. Frank Cookasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the response of the Irish Deputy Prime Minister to assurances that the recent incident at Sellafield had not posed any threat to the Irish coast.
§ Mr. WaldegraveWhile he stated his government's position that discharges from Sellafield ought to be discontinued as soon as practicable, Mr. Spring welcomed my right hon. Friend's specific assurances, and looked forward to closer administrative and technical contacts in this field.
§ Mr. Frank Cookasked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what he based his assurances to the Irish Deputy Prime Minister that the recent incident at Sellafield had not posed any threat to the Irish coast.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe assurances given by my right hon. Friend were based on the special monitoring programme carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and reported to the House on 21 December, at columns235–236. Previous research by MAFF on currents in the Irish sea supports the conclusion that the environmental effects of the incident at Sellafield are likely to remain localised and do not pose any threat to the Irish coast.