WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3165/97 by Patricia McKENNA to the Commission. Restart of the Magnox nuclear processing plant in Sellafield, UK
Date: 1997-10-13
Institutions: European Parliament, MCKENNA
Subjects: United Kingdom, fuel reprocessing, health risk, ionising radiation, nuclear power station, nuclear safety, occupational health, public health, safety standard

C 117/158

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

16. 4. 98

The Finnish authorities have already provided the Commission and its consultant with detailed reports on local
circumstances and on the risks to health and the environment from the cadmium content of fertilizers in Finland.
This information is being taken into account in the study. The Commission will discuss the results of this study
with all Member States before the end of this year.

(98/C 117/214)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3163/97

by Concepcio· Ferrer (PPE) to the Commission

(13 October 1997)

Subject: Eurathlon programme

Last April the Commission announced that ECU 1.7 million would be made available for 174 projects under the
Eurathlon sports programme. The projects selected involve an extremely wide range of activities from fencing to
parachuting, although the most common activity of all is football.

In view of the fact that one of the aims of the Eurathlon sports programme is to promote exchanges between EU
citizens and thus encourage the European spirit, could the Commission say how many of the projects adopted are
intended to promote sport amongst persons with some kind of disability?

Could the Commission also say how many of the total number of projects submitted (657) were intended to
promote sport amongst the disabled?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission

(6 November 1997)

Part of the Commission’s sports budget is set aside for the Eurathlon programme while another part finances
sports for the disabled.

As part of this specific sports programme for the disabled, in 1997, the Commission received 126 applications for
grants, 72 of which will receive Commission aid from a provision totalling ECU 1 million.

(98/C 117/215)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3165/97

by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Commission

(13 October 1997)

Subject: Restart of the Magnox nuclear processing plant in Sellafield, UK

The UK(cid:146)s Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) has recently approved plans to restart the Magnox nuclear
processing plant in Sellafield, UK, after an eight-month shutdown to carry out refurbishment work.

Has the Commission sought details from the NII on what basis its decision to approve the restart was made? If so,
can the Commission outline what details it sought and what reply/replies it received?

Is the Commission satisfied with the refurbishment work carried out at the plant? Will it seek an independent
assessment  of  that  work  to  establish  if  the  plant(cid:146)s  operations  are  likely  to  meet  EU  and  international  safety
standards for nuclear installations?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(7 November 1997)

Under the terms of the Community basic safety standards for the health protection of the general public and
workers  against  the  dangers  of  ionizing  radiation  (Council  Directive  80/836/Euratom  as  amended  by