A full exercise of the revised national nuclear emergency plan would be staged in the new year, Mr Joe Jacob, Minister of State for Energy, told the House. A previous simulated exercise in 1996 had shown up substantial weaknesses which had since been addressed.
The Minister was responding to concerns raised by Mr Jim Walsh (FF) and Ms Avril Doyle (FG).
Mr Walsh said if we faced exposure because of any failure in a British nuclear installation due to the so-called millennium bug, it would be important that we would be in a position to react properly in the event, however unlikely, of a serious incident. The highly computerised nuclear industry would obviously be at risk to the fallout from any non-compliance with Year 2000 specifications.
Mr Jacob agreed with senators' complaints about inordinate secrecy on the part of the UK nuclear industry. He said the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland had long sought environment risk assessment material and British Nuclear Fuels Ltd had repeatedly refused to give that information. However, the UK had for the first time responded positively and made an offer as regards how that information could be gleaned and supplied.