The revelation that the Defence Forces have dumped 599 tonnes of munitions in the Irish Sea since 1983 has compromised the Government's representations to Britain about its dumping of nuclear and chemical waste, according to the Green Party TD, Mr John Gormley.
Government sources yesterday rejected Mr Gormley's claims, saying the Government's concerns were over the dumping of chemical and nuclear material. "There is a big difference between that and some conventional munitions," said one source.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces yesterday confirmed that 366 tonnes of munitions were dumped in Beaufort's Dyke in October 1983, and a further 233 tonnes dumped 220 miles south west of Mizen Head in August 1994. The munitions included artillery shells, ammunition for small arms and some pyrotechnic material.
Last month the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, demanded full disclosure from the British government about the secret dumping of nuclear waste in the Irish Sea. This followed a British admission that such dumping had taken place in the 1950s in Beaufort's Dyke, a military dumping ground between Northern Ireland and Scotland.