Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I ask Mr. Cody to trust me when I say that if I made it out, he would make it out. It is okay. I issued that invitation to the Minister and to Mr. Cody in the context of my query about whether this was a desktop study or whether those involved had actually been to this location. When a person who is doing a desktop study sees the list of allowances that are being claimed for, he or she might ask whether the conditions being faced by the workers warrant these types of claims. I am 41 years of age. I grew up right beside the mine. Until I went down into the mine, I had no appreciation of what the workers face and how it equates to what they are looking for. It takes an hour to go down to the deepest part of the mine, which is 900 m under the surface. It is the deepest underground spot in Ireland. The guys who are on shift work do not see daylight at this time of year. They go in when it is dark and they come out when it is dark. They have allowable claims for vitamin tablets, etc. They work in extremely hazardous conditions. There are escape pods at every point. If there is a collapse or a fire, the workers sit in the escape pods in the dark for 12 hours until someone comes to rescue them. The air down there is very thin. I knew when I came out of the mine that I had been through a harrowing experience. If there was something wrong with the mine from an employment perspective, there would be a line of politicians outside the gates speaking to the RTÉ cameras. It is quite proper from my point of view for me to pose an invitation to the Minister and to Mr. Cody. I make no apology for it. If the allowances available to the workers in the largest zinc mine in Europe are going to be changed, those involved in making that change should go to see the mine.