S.I. No. 209/1993 - European Communities (Radiological Emergency Warning To Public) Regulations, 1993.

S.I. No. 209 of 1993.

EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY WARNING TO PUBLIC) REGULATIONS, 1993.

I, BRIAN COWEN, Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the European Communities Act, 1972 (No. 27 of 1972), and for the purpose of giving effect to Council Directive No. 89/618/Euratom of 27 November 1989,⁽¹⁾ hereby make the following Regulations:

⁽¹⁾ O.J. No. 1 357/31 of 7/12/1989.

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the European Communities (Radiological Emergency Warning to Public) Regulations, 1993.

(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on the 31st day of July, 1993.

2. (1) In these Regulations—

"the Council Directive" means Council Directive No. 89/618/Euratom of 27 November 1989;

"the Competent Authority" means the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland.

(2) A word or expression that is used in these Regulations and is also used in the Council Directive has, unless the contrary intention appears, the same meaning in these Regulations as it has in the Council Directive.

3. (1) The Competent Authority shall ensure that the population likely to be affected in the event of a radiological emergency is given information about the health protection measures applicable to the population and the action the population should take in the event of such an emergency.

(2) The information supplied pursuant to paragraph (1) of this Regulation shall include, at least, the elements set out in Annex 1 to the Council Directive.

(3) The Competent Authority shall bring up to date the information referred to in paragraph (1) of this Regulation every three years and circulate it at regular intervals and whenever significant changes in the arrangements that it describes take place.

(4) The information to which this Regulation relates shall be made available permanently to the public by the Competent Authority.

4. (1) The Competent Authority shall ensure that when a radiological emergency occurs the population actually affected by the emergency is informed without delay of the factors of the emergency, of the steps to be taken and, as appropriate, the health protection measures applicable to it.

(2) The information provided under paragraph (1) of this Regulation shall cover the points contained in Annex II to the Council Directive which are relevant to the type of radiological emergency.

5. (1) The Competent Authority shall ensure that any persons who are neither on the staff of the facilities nor are engaged in the activities defined in Article 2 (2) of the Council Directive but who might be involved in the organisation of emergency assistance in the event of a radiological emergency are given adequate and regularly updated information on the risks to their health their intervention might involve and on the precautionary measures to be taken in such an event; this information shall take account of the range of potential radiological emergencies.

(2) As soon as a radiological emergency occurs, this information shall be supplemented appropriately, having regard to the specific circumstances of the particular emergency.

6. The Competent Authority shall establish and maintain appropriate procedures for circulating the information defined in Articles 3, 4 and 5 of these Regulations to those persons defined in these same articles.

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 13th day of July, 1993.

BRIAN COWEN,

Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Regulations provide for the implementation of Council Directive 89/618/Euratom of 27 November 1989, on informing the general public about health protection measures to be applied and steps to be taken in the event of a radiological emergency.

The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland is the Competent Authority for the purpose of giving effect to the Regulations.