Written Question · S1W-32511 · Session 1
What the procedure is for the notification of any instances of dumping of radioactive waste at sea to (a) the Parliament, (b) relevant loca…
The question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the procedure is for the notification of any instances of dumping of radioactive waste at sea to (a) the Parliament, (b) relevant local authorities, (c) relevant local NHS boards, (d) local industries that may be affected and (e) local residents.
The answer
Radioactive material has not been dumped at sea by the UK since 1982. Scottish ministers retain the position held by the UK Government at the time of devolution
- that radioactive material will not be dumped at sea under any circumstances.Routine discharges of low-level radioactive waste to sea are controlled under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 within the terms of authorisations issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to nuclear site operators such as British Energy. Authorisations provide stringent controls under which such discharges may be made. Releases are carefully regulated by SEPA. Should an unauthorised release occur, the site operator is required to notify SEPA as soon as possible. SEPA, as the regulator, will investigate the incident thoroughly and determine any action necessary, including potential legal action and invoking contingency plans to notify relevant bodies.SEPA carries out a comprehensive programme of monitoring of environmental radioactivity in Scotland, concentrating on the monitoring of the marine and coastal environments. SEPA publishes the results of its monitoring annually in Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE), jointly with the Food Standards Agency. RIFE presents results of measurements of radioactivity in the environment. Copies of the reports, including the current report RIFE-7, are available from the Parliament's Reference Centre, or from the SEPA website at the following address:www.sepa.org.uk/publications/rife/index.htm.
- that radioactive material will not be dumped at sea under any circumstances.Routine discharges of low-level radioactive waste to sea are controlled under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 within the terms of authorisations issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to nuclear site operators such as British Energy. Authorisations provide stringent controls under which such discharges may be made. Releases are carefully regulated by SEPA. Should an unauthorised release occur, the site operator is required to notify SEPA as soon as possible. SEPA, as the regulator, will investigate the incident thoroughly and determine any action necessary, including potential legal action and invoking contingency plans to notify relevant bodies.SEPA carries out a comprehensive programme of monitoring of environmental radioactivity in Scotland, concentrating on the monitoring of the marine and coastal environments. SEPA publishes the results of its monitoring annually in Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE), jointly with the Food Standards Agency. RIFE presents results of measurements of radioactivity in the environment. Copies of the reports, including the current report RIFE-7, are available from the Parliament's Reference Centre, or from the SEPA website at the following address:www.sepa.org.uk/publications/rife/index.htm.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S1W-32511 by reference.