Sulphur pollution reaching Ireland from Britain
Shatter asked whether British emissions were damaging Ireland and whether contact had been made with Britain. The Minister cited the UK as the source of 18.8% of sulphur deposition in Ireland, but did not address contact directly.
The Minister said he would deal with whether emissions from Ireland would give rise to acid rain. Are we being affected in the way it has been alleged other countries are being affected by emissions from Britain — apparently a number of Scandanavian countries are? Have we had contact with Britain about possible environmental damage to Ireland?
Comment on this
As I indicated in my reply, 30 per cent of the deposition of sulphur in Ireland resulted from emissions in other EC countries, 3 per cent from non-EC countries and 39 per cent has been undetermined. The figures are: Belgium, 1.6 per cent, France, 4.7 per cent, West Germany, 3.1 per cent, Ireland, 28.1 per cent, the Netherlands, 1.6 per cent, the UK, 18.8 per cent and other countries not in the EC, 3.1 per cent.