HC Deb 08 March 1993 vol 220 cc413-4W
Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what monitoring has been carried out of the areas affected by the radioactive contamination resulting from the recent leak at Sellafield with regard to possible dangers to health.

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 2 March 1993]: I have been asked to reply.

This Department and Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, as joint authorising Departments for the disposal of radioactive waste from licensed nuclear sites, place a statutory obligation on operators to carry out monitoring of discharges and environmental radioactivity as a condition of authorisations. When British Nuclear Fuel Ltd's monitoring at Sellafield indicated the recent enhanced discharges of radioactivity, the company carried out high-volume air sampling and extra sampling of milk and grass in the areas affected.

This Department samples milk in the vicinity of the Sellafield site as part of our routine surveillance activity near all licensed nuclear sites. Following these incidents we have also analysed grass samples and our dry cloth deposition collectors located around the site which provide data on airborne activity.

On the basis of the results of this sampling, our scientific assessment is that the radiological impact from these discharges to the most exposed members of the public is no more than 10 microSieverts. By contrast the dose to members of the public from normal background radioactivity is 2,200 microSieverts a year.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what implications, in terms of time and content, her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution inquiry into the recent radiation leak at Sellafield will have for Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution consultation into the proposed radioactive waste discharge authorisations from British Nuclear Fuels Ltd., Sellafield site; and if he will make it his policy that no decision will be made on the draft authorisations until the results of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution inquiry into the leak are known.

Mr. Maclean

[holding answer 3 March 1993]: Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution currently does not expect the investigations into the recent incidents at Sellafield to affect the timetable for assessing the results of the consultation exercise on the proposed new authorisations at Sellafield. HMIP and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food still currently expect to submit their report on the consultation process in early April 1993.

Any decisions on the draft authorisations will take account of lessons arising from the investigations.