WRITTEN QUESTION No. 799/98 by Nuala AHERN to the Commission. Dispersion of radioactivity from the Dounreay site in Scotland into the North Sea
Date: 1998-03-18
Institutions: AHERN, European Parliament
Subjects: Scotland, dumping of waste, marine pollution, nuclear industry, radioactive effluent, radioactive waste, storage of waste, waste disposal, waste management

21. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 323/77

(98/C 323/100)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0799/98

by Nuala Ahern (V) to the Commission

(18 March 1998)

Subject: Dispersion of radioactivity from the Dounreay site in Scotland into the North Sea

Has  the  Commission  reason  to  change  its  reply  to  question  H-0706/96 (1),  on  17  September  1996  that  the
dispersion  of  radioactivity  from  the  Dounreay  site  in  Scotland  into  the  North  Sea  (cid:145)is  of  no  significance  to
Scandinavia(cid:146) in the light of the admission by the UK Atomic Energy Authority management on 2 February 1998
that there is a second, hitherto secret, disposal shaft/silo at Dounreay? When did the Commission learn of the
existence of the shaft?

(1)  Proceedings of the European Parliament 4-488 (September 1996).

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(5 May 1998)

The  newspaper  article,  to  which  the  Honourable  Member  refers,  provides  no  new  information  relevant  to
discharges from the Dounreay site. Consequently, it does not affect the Commission(cid:146)s reply to Oral Question
H-706/96 by Mrs Eriksson during question time at Parliament(cid:146)s September 1996 part-session (1).

The (cid:145)hitherto secret(cid:146) shaft is, in fact, an on-site storage facility known as the Intermediate solid waste silo. It is
connected to the site effluent disposal system and so any discharge from it is part of the authorised discharge
from the site. The Commission has known of the existence of this facility since the United Kingdom became a
signatory to the Euratom Treaty. In that context, the Honourable Member is referred to the Commission(cid:146)s reply
to Written Question E-663/98 by Mrs Bloch von Blottnitz (2).

The United Kingdom Government has also announced that the wastes are to be retrieved for treatment from both
the intermediate based shaft and the silo at Dounreay.

(1)  Debates of the Parliament 4-488 (September 1996).
(2)  See page 62.

(98/C 323/101)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0807/98

by Hedy d(cid:146)Ancona (PSE) to the Commission

(26 March 1998)

Subject: Report entitled (cid:145)An appraisal of technologies of political control › interim study(cid:146), drawn up by STOA
(the European Parliament(cid:146)s Scientific and Technological Options Assessment) (PE 166.499./Int.St.)

Has the report entitled (cid:145)An appraisal of technologies of political control › interim study(cid:146), drawn up by STOA
(the  European  Parliament(cid:146)s  Scientific  and  Technological  Options  Assessment)  (PE  166.499./Int.St.)  been
notified to the Commission?

(98/C 323/102)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0808/98

by Hedy d(cid:146)Ancona (PSE) to the Commission

(26 March 1998)

Subject: Report entitled (cid:145)An appraisal of technologies of political control › interim study(cid:146), drawn up by STOA
(the European Parliament(cid:146)s Scientific and Technological Options Assessment) (PE 166.499./Int.St.)

Given  the  efforts  made  by  the  European  Parliament  to  provide  guarantees  for  the  protection  of  individuals(cid:146)
privacy, what implications does the Commission see in the threats thereto of (cid:145)horizontal proliferation(cid:146) of new