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OFFICE OF THE MINISTER OF STATE Oifig an Aire Stait DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISE An Roinn Fiontar Polbli 25 CLARE STREET, DUBLIN 2. 25 Sraid Chliara, Baile Atha Cliath 2. 20 July, 1998. Ms. Iva Pocock, Voice for Irish Concern for the Environment Ltd., 14 Upper Pembroke St., Dublin 2. Dear Ms. Iva Pocock, I refer to your letter of 17 July, 1998 to Dr. Michael Woods, T.D., Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, which you copied to me regarding the 1998 Ministerial Meeting of the OSPAR Commission. Insofar as your letter refers to the matter of radioactive discharges to the marine environment, which falls within my area of remit, I wish to let you know that I will be attending the OSPAR Commission Ministerial Meeting this week and will be seeking the phase out of all such discharges into the Irish Sea. Ireland, with the support of Norway, Denmark and Iceland, has been to the forefront of discussion within the OSPAR Working groups on the formulation of an OSPAR Strategy with regard to radioactive substances, and has tabled a number of amendments to the draft Strategy aimed at securing the ultimate elimination of such discharges by the year 2020. I believe that this Strategy, if adopted by the OSPAR Ministers on the basis of the amendments proposed by Ireland to the objective and timeframe part thereof, and also Ireland's draft Recommendation seeking an immediate reduction and ultimate elimination of technetium-99 discharges, will have a positive effect on future regulatory policy and practice and will facilitate the eventual elimination of all radioactive discharges to the marine environment. As you know, the OSPAR convention requires Contracting Parties to take all possible steps to prevent and eliminate pollution. I firmly believe that in keeping with this obligation, the OSPAR Strategy on radioactive substances should develop a timetable for the phasing out of discharges of such substances. I will, therefore, be pressing most forcefully for the elimination of these discharges by the year 2020. With regard to your organisation's views on the OSPAR Ministerial Statement, i.e. the Sintra Statement, I would like to point out that the content of the Statement will ultimately reflect, inter alia, the final version of the OSPAR Strategy on Radioactive Substances. As mentioned above, Ireland's amendments to the text of the draft Strategy are aimed at achieving the cessation of discharges of radioactive substances by 2020. I trust this letter helps to clarify the position for you. Yours sincerely, Joe Jacob, T.D., Minister of State |