Doc. 10591

20 June 2005

Emissions from the Sellafield nuclear plant

Written question No 471 to the Committee of Ministers

presented by Mr Hagberg

The world should act to persuade the United Kingdom to reduce emissions of plutonium at the Sellafield nuclear plant. The background to these problems is that in August 2004 the Sellafield plant was given permission to increase its plutonium emissions to 700 GBq. Plutonium emits radioactive alpha radiation which, in the worst case, can destroy the genetic material of both human beings and animals.

      The need to reduce emissions in Sellafield has become a burning issue once more. According to reports, on 18 April there was a leak of over 20 tonnes of nitric acid containing uranium and plutonium. Of this the plutonium alone was reported to have amounted to around 200 kg.

      We are now living in a time of growing global environmental problems for which we all must take responsibility. The British nuclear plant in Sellafield constitutes an important part of European energy production. At the same time, European governments have an important role to play when it comes to preventing radioactive emissions all over our continent. The concern that many people have about nuclear power is often based on how we deal with radioactive waste.

      In the light of the above, I would like to ask which measures the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe intends to take in order to persuade the British Government to reduce radioactive emissions at the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant.

Signed ¹:

HAGBERG, Michael, Sweden, SOC

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group