§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will establish a study into the health effects of the operation of Sellafield on the people of Northern Ireland. [120710]
§ Mr. George HowarthA major independent study which reported in 1989 sought to identify possible links between the incidence of Down's Syndrome and 491W leukaemia and radiation in the Irish Sea. The report concluded that the data examined did not obviously implicate radioactive pollution in the Irish Sea as an underlying factor in determining the patterns in Northern Ireland of the conditions studied. To facilitate ongoing research and surveillance, the report recommended that a system of cancer registration should be established. Since the establishment of the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry in 1993, there is now a complete and accurate database on cancer incidence in Northern Ireland which facilitates the monitoring of the health of the population on an ongoing basis. Analysis so far continued to support the findings of the 1989 study.
As regards monitoring of radiation levels, currently the Environment and Heritage Service's Industrial Pollution and Radiochemical Inspectorate in Northern Ireland conducts routine monitoring of the impact of Sellafield discharges on the Northern Ireland coastline. In addition, independent monitoring is conducted by District Council Environmental Health Officers under the auspices of the Norther Ireland Radiation Monitoring Committee. Both sets of monitoring continue to indicate that the levels of radioactivity measured are of negligible radiological significance.