Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and his officials. I have just a few questions.

I put in a parliamentary question, PQ, to the Minister asking for a copy of the test results for this sanitiser and the amount of methanol that was used in it. Unfortunately, it has not been answered. Everything but that was written about in the answer. What amount of methanol was in the product? I am not expecting the Minister to know the ins and outs of it. The Minister's officials can answer if he wants.

My understanding going back years in the Department is that it is a desktop exercise but then that the team would meet. Am I correct in saying, because of Covid or whatever, that the team was not meeting when these products were being given the pesticide control services, PCS, numbers. How often does the laboratory check these products? Is there a printout of all the different products that have been tested in the laboratory?

On the 12 week delay the Minister talked about, there are people who have put in for PCS numbers in June and July who have only been contacted for further information in the past week or ten days. That is longer than 12 weeks.

The Minister talked about the numbers and stated that more than 370 were given out this year. Is it not correct that those were temporary numbers that were given out earlier on in the year? Am I correct there was a decision made, because of the seriousness of the situation in Ireland, to give out these numbers? Early on, the PCS numbers were basically thrown out fairly rapidly? Was due process followed with all PCS numbers in that given time at the very beginning?

Finally, when does the Minister expect a decision for those who have put in for PCS numbers over the past five or six months whose applications have not yet been processed? Thankfully, there appear to be vaccines on the horizon in the next six or eight months. There is not much point in giving a PCS number to them next April or May, if we have an injection to give somebody that will result in his or her not needing hand sanitisers anymore. The Minister talks about providing more staff. How quickly will this happen? The Minister came in previously and spoke about this. In fairness, the Minister stated this service was being ramped up but the ramping up does not seem to be giving the answers in the number of applications that are still in.