§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Energy what reply has been sent to the Irish Government's call for the closure of Sellafield; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GoodladMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy has received no such call from the Irish Government.
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§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the maximum distance at which radioactive contamination has been found from Sellafield in the past five years.
§ Mr. GoodladBecause artificial radionuclides can be measured at extremely low concentrations, radioactivity arising from liquid discharges from Sellafield can be detected over considerable distances in water. The levels of activity which can be detected are of no significance and represent only a small fraction of the natural variations found in the levels of radioactivity in seawater.