§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what seashore monitoring for radioactivity is carried out by his environment department.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe environment service of the Department of Environment for Northern Ireland monitors the gamma dose rate in the air over intertidal sediments around the coastline of the Province. The results are consistent with normal background levels of radioactivity.
The environment service also arranges for analyses of sea water, seaweed, fish, nephrops and winkles on a quarterly basis. These results are published annually and indicate that the radioactivity is of negligible radiological significance to the Northern Ireland public.