Written Answers. - Dumping at Sea.
Pat the Cope Gallagher
Question:
29
Mr. P. Gallagher (Donegal South West)
asked the
Minister for the Marine
if his attention has been drawn to a recent press report in which the British Ministry of Defence admitted dumping substantial quantities of nerve gas off the Donegal coast; the steps, if any, he proposes to take to identify the dump sites and to assist in the recovery and making safe of the toxic substances concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6366/95]
Noel Dempsey
Question:
32
Mr. Dempsey
asked the
Minister for the Marine
if the Government will request the EU Commission to proceed with an investigation into the dumping of chemical weapons in Irish waters by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence; and the preliminary steps, if any, the Government has taken to protect against possible seepage of toxic and dangerous materials at the dump site.
[7828/95]
Kathleen Lynch
Question:
38
Kathleen Lynch
asked the
Minister for the Marine
the representations, if any, which have been made to the United Kingdom Government regarding the safety of an estimated 145,000 tonnes of chemical weapons dumped off the Irish and British coasts following World War II; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6822/95]
Eoin Ryan
Question:
127
Mr. E. Ryan
asked the
Minister for the Marine
the inquiries, if any, made by him to the British Government concerning the dumping of weapons at marine sites around Ireland; the representations, if any, he has made to the European Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8601/95]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 32, 38 and 127 together.
In response to questions raised within the European Parliament, MEPs have been advised that the dumping of munitions dating from World War II in the sea does not fall under Community law and that the Oslo Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft, 1972, is an appropriate forum through which this issue could be pursued. Ireland is a party to the Oslo Convention and we are pursuing the general issue through that forum.
Information on the precise location of the dump sites used by the UK for the dumping of chemical weapons between 1945 and 1957 in waters adjacent to Irish territorial waters, and the volume and composition of the weapons have been made available to the Irish Government. Indeed, information in relation to the dumping off the Donegal coastline has been available since 1986 and in the public domain for a number of years. The Department is in continuous contact with the UK authorities in this matter with a view to ensuring that all relevant information has been supplied. If necessary I will raise this matter at ministerial level.
On-going scientific assessments undertaken by the Department's Fisheries Research Centre in respect of chemical weapons dumped off the Irish coast indicate that given the properties of the chemicals (being either quickly soluble in, or heavier than water), the sea depth at which they were dumped and the considerable number of years which had elapsed, the weapons are not considered to pose a hazard to the health or fishing activities of our coastal communities.
The dumping of chemical weapons is a matter of major concern to Ireland and indeed to most contracting parties to the Oslo Convention. There are some 13 countries party to the convention. Chemical weapon dumpsites are located throughout the maritime area covered by the convention. This subject was on the agenda of the April meeting of the Environmental Assessment and Monitoring Committee (ASMO), a scientific working group of the convention. Studies undertaken by Denmark concerning war gas in the Baltic Sea were considered at the ASMO meeting. These studies concluded that as the risks associated with the recovery of dumped chemical weapons are high it would be hazardous to undertake a salvage operation. The results of earlier studies carried out by Belgium concurred with those of Denmark.
In short the best available information and technical advice at the moment is that given the nature of the chemicals, seepage is not considered to pose serious hazards and efforts to retrieve or remove would be more dangerous than leaving the dumped material in place. Nevertheless, this remains a matter of serious concern. Further investigation into this whole area is required.
I am, therefore, determined to ensure that a comprehensive investigation of the impact of the dumping of chemical weapons off the coast of Ireland should be initiated. In this regard it was decided, at the April ASMO meeting that, as part of a wider quality status report on the maritime area covered by the Oslo Convention, the impact of the dumping of war gas ammunition would be specifically addressed. This wider quality status report is to be completed by the year 2000. Ireland and the UK are responsible for the preparation of that part of the report in respect of a region which covers the Irish Sea, Celtic Sea and areas to the west of Ireland and west of Scotland and the aim is to have the war gas aspect addressed as speedily as possible.
